The Forgotten One: lover's enemy
by SilentSleepingInTheCold
Summary: disregards HBP! Draco is shunned by the Hogwarts students and bullied until he becomes depressive, eventually suicidal. While Draco gets constantly bullied Harry finds himself haunted by dreams of a person he cannot put a face too. Rape Warning now.
1. Prologue: the start

Disclaimer: I do **not own** Harry Potter, and I do **not own** this plot.

Summary: Draco is shunned by the Hogwarts students and bullied until he becomes depressive, eventually suicidal as well. While Draco gets constantly bullied Harry finds himself haunted by dreams and a pair of eyes, of a person he cannot put a face to. Soon the forgotten past, becomes a troubled future. HD slash

A/N Raven-Dray gave me this plotto writea story.I'm writing it for her and I believe someone else who thought up the plot. I don't own it in any sense of the phrase 'to own'. So I dedicate this prologue to them! The rating might not be that bad right now, but it's going up as I progress. You've been warned.-Sleeping

* * *

**Prologue**

Life in Hogwarts was not easy for some people. Draco Malfoy had come to accept that in his sixth year. In only a matter of days his father was gone, arrested and in Azkaban during his fifth year, and that had only been the start of the many problems his life had come to know.

When he arrived in his sixth year his school turned on him, he had to be a Death Eater because his father was, and nobody wants anything to do with a Death Eater. As time went on, the rest of the students in the school were all but out to make sure Draco Malfoy was turned into a social outcast.

All because of who his father was and the opinions his family had towards muggles. Draco could not justify what his father had done easily, but he could not believe his father deserved what had happened to him. It was his father.

But soon the students made even his so-called friends turn on him. Too many fights with Slytherins had occurred, and the Slytherin students all but blamed Draco out right for making them such an unpopular group within their own school.

By Christmas Draco found himself rejected by everyone he had known, left to become as lonesome as Loony Luna Lovegood, only more so because no one would even talk to him. And in class, whenever partners were required, people would ignore him and leave him to his own devices.

With no one to talk to, Draco soon found what had seemed like such insignificant troubles become big problems. He felt like he had no voice, like if he even tried to speak everyone would just see past him. He felt like his pale complexion had become even paler and he was just really a ghost.

Depression quickly took over Draco's whole life. Tasks that had seemed so simple like getting out of bed became the most complicated decision ever. Sometimes Draco wouldn't get out of bed, and no one questioned his absence, ever.

He rarely took care of his appearance after Christmas, seeing it as just another bothersome thing to do with his useless life. Some of the crueler students would make snide remarks about his now greasy hair that always hung over his face, as if he were trying to hide.

Draco just listened to the comments, felt them cut him deep as if they were a dagger, and go back to bed to sleep where no one would make comments at all. Draco didn't eat any meal except supper, choosing to hide in the library most of the time just to pass the time.

Sometimes his stomach would scream for food, hurting so much it made him want to run to the Great Hall and eat something, for the love of Merlin something! But Draco didn't want to leave his safe sanctuary, where people could not get him, where he was truly safe.

Eventually, Draco had enough of the constant shunning from his housemates, school, and what felt like the world. He planned his death carefully, as careful as one could, and decided it would be best to hang himself. Who would care if he was gone? His mother might cry but she'd get over it eventually.

To everyone else his death might be called a blessing, the Weasel sure thought so. The Weasel had been the worst of his sixth year. The idiot always had a snide remark to make, always had something to say that hurt the most. Draco now ignored him because Draco was simply tired of fighting back.

He had no chance of getting his hands on a poison that could kill him swiftly and silently, if he made one crudely in potions by disregarding ingredients it would hurt like a mad runespoor's venom spilling through his veins from a bite. Poison would have been Draco's first choice of what he'd prefer to kill himself with.

He didn't want to slit his wrists or anything else because, yet again, he may want to die, but he didn't want it to be drawn out and painful. He just wanted to get it done and over with.

He bought rope in Hogsmeade, and he remembered the store clerk looking at him strangely as he purchased the rope. But it wasn't his business what Draco wanted to do with it, so he never did ask what the young boy had planned for its use.

In the dead of night Draco snuck out of his dormitory with the rope in hand, a noose already created to fit around his head and hopefully snap his neck when he fell right away. But it didn't go as well as planned.

The rope was tied securely to the stone railing so Draco would either be strangled to death or have his neck snapped soon after his jump. He didn't like the idea of dying by strangulation, but if it was how he would go, it was how he would go.

As Draco was jumping off the railing, someone came up behind him as quick as lighting, grabbed him around the waist, and hauled him away from the railing backwards. First Draco realized that he wasn't dead, and it wasn't until a few moments later that he came to senses to realize someone had saved him.

"What the hell are you doing!" Draco cried out, trying to get out of the other's surprisingly iron grip. The noose was still around his neck, and it was doing a good job of cutting off his air because it was still tied to the railing.

But the boy who had saved him, he was sure it was a boy because of the flat chest he was half laying on, soon fixed that by harshly pulling the noose off Draco's neck. The rope burned Draco's neck, but that wasn't his main concern at the time. Who the hell would _save_ him?

"I'm saving you! You great git!" Draco heard Potter say from under him. Draco whirled up on his feet, glaring down at the boy sprawled out on the floor in front of him. Potter looked like he was recovering from the biggest scare of his life.

"I didn't want to be saved!" Draco growled out, looking down at his noose on the floor. His first attempt at suicide had been tampered with because Potter felt the need to save, yet again, another lost soul.

Well Draco didn't want anything to do with Saint Potter this time! "Potter, you may be the chosen fucking one, but do me a favour, let me be the one goddamn fool you don't save." Draco snapped, before walking away from him down the staircase.

Potter didn't listen to him, though. The bastard actually started to seek Draco out. When no one was around in the library, where Draco took to hiding, Potter would show up and sit down beside him with a book and read.

Usually it was a book on Quidditch, but sometimes it was a book about other things: like the dark arts or curses. Soon Potter tried to engage Draco in a conversation. "Malfoy-" Potter had started.

"What do you want?" Draco had spat out, putting his quill down for a second. He had actually grown to like Potter's presence, it was better then the constant loneliness.

"I was wondering if you wanted to play a small Quidditch game, just the two of us, later tonight after supper." Potter asked. Draco didn't receive it that well.

"I think not, Potter, why the hell would you want to be around the likes of me?" Draco asked, and Potter shrugged, picking up his book again.

"Because you're human." he said simply before going back to reading. Or so Draco assumed.

Draco snorted and picked up his quill to finish his transfigurations homework. "And what made you come to that bright conclusion? I thought I was big bad Death Eater in training, the enemy." Draco asked. He didn't think he'd get an answer and he didn't think he wanted an answer.

But Potter gave him one anyways. "You wouldn't be trying to kill yourself if you were." Potter said, and it hit Draco hard. No one had acknowledged it to him that he was suicidal; he thought no one had cared.

"What do you care about my death?" Draco snapped out, getting ready to leave the prat alone at the library desk and go off to some secluded place to finish his homework in peace.

"I care." Potter replied, confusing Draco.

"You shouldn't." Draco told him, getting ready to pack up as he put his quill away in his pocket robes. Potter grabbed his wrist and stared him down, making Draco stop all his movements and just stare.

"I care Malfoy. Even if I shouldn't, I do. Deal with it." Potter said, giving him a wry smile before letting go of his wrist. But something made Draco stay, and say yes he'd like to play with Harry on the field, even if he didn't know what made him stay.

Over the next few months Draco slowly let Potter into his miserable existence. Only it no longer seemed so miserable. Potter and he never talked to each other in public, but it was nice to be friendly with someone even if it was well concealed.

Potter soon became Harry, and Harry was the only light in his life. At first he got what he'd always wanted, a friendship with Harry Potter, but then after one kiss Harry became something more then just a friend.

"What was that!" Draco asked as Harry pulled away, grinning at him. Draco could still taste whatever Harry had been eating earlier in his mouth from the kiss, and it only helped create more shock in his system.

"I kissed you." Harry said, and leaned in to repeat his performance. Draco let him do it, shocked and very confused because it felt so nice, when it was so weird to be kissing a boy!

Soon after that, Draco found he quite liked kissing Harry, among other things. They kept everything they did together a secret, knowing it was probably the best thing to do to avoid conflict with one of Draco's many enemies in the school.

But it helped Draco's mood very much to have Harry to talk to. He soon began to take more care in how he looked again, showed up at lunch more, and even woke up feeling happy at the thought of being able to sneak off easily from the Slytherin Common room and meet Harry in seclusion later.

By the end of the Easter Holidays of his sixth year, Draco could easily have admitted to anyone that he was in love with the most unlikely person in the world, Harry Potter. But Draco, above all people, should have known that nothing stays perfect forever.

Reviews are encouraged if you want another chapter.


	2. Chapter One: troublesome memories

Disclaimer: Too lazy, see Prologue.

A/N It took me awhile to get the timeline set up... anyways hope this makes sense! -shifty glance- Thankies to all who reviewed , I loved the reviews very much! mwhahaha. -coughs- ahem anyways, on with the story.

* * *

Harry sighed as he held his eyes shut and sat up on his dorm bed. He'd just been trying to remember what had happened during Easter last year after Ron brought up an incident with a boggart and a pitchfork that had happened on the holiday in their dormitory. But his sixth year had become a blur to him, along with all recent memories.

Ever since Voldemort had placed that curse on him a month ago in April in another attempt on his life he'd found himself with an incomplete memory of the last year. He could barely remember winning the Quidditch game against Slytherin that Ron seemed to find so memorable.

What he remembered of it was wind in his face, the rush of being on a broom in the air. Ron remembered him kicking Malfoy's ass like the rogue bludger in his second year. What struck Harry as odd was that he would forget kicking Malfoy's ass; he always loved the chance to do that.

He didn't even fully remember the night Voldemort had attacked him. He remembered pain, but he didn't remember how or why he'd gotten himself trapped in Voldemort's clutches.

And if he could remember the spell Voldemort had placed on him, he'd wonder about how to fix the side affects. He wanted his memory back. It was hard trying to think of a memory when all he could think of was a blank space.

Harry sighed and laid back down on his bed, trying to find a comfortable position in the sheets while Ron snored on the bed next to him. Tomorrow was the second week of May and while he still felt safe in the school, something seemed out of place still ever since his recovery from the attack.

* * *

"Harry we'll see you later, we have to go to the prefect meeting now." Hermione said, pulling Ron along with her as they went to the prefects' meeting of the month.

Harry laughed as he watched his friends go, Hermione holding Ron's arms tightly, as if making sure he would show up for his duties whether he liked it or not. Harry was heading back to the common room from the library when he was slightly distracted by goings on around the library's entrance.

"Piss off Malfoy, you're not wanted anywhere here." Harry heard a cruel voice say up ahead of him, and he saw a group of Slytherins glaring at the blond who was just glaring back at them. Harry could understand why they didn't want Malfoy around them, what with Malfoy's father and all in their fifth year.

Malfoy looked over in Harry's direction but as soon as he spotted Harry he got an angry gleam in his grey eyes and walked the other way, only to get tripped by one of the male Slytherins in the group who looked very unfriendly.

Malfoy fell down to the floor harshly, and Harry couldn't help but laugh along with the rest of them as Malfoy's face met stone. Malfoy just got up on his hands and knees. He had a big burn on the side of his pale face and a trickle of blood from his lips. He stood up and walked calmly away from the Slytherins.

Malfoy disappeared behind a corner down the hallway while his fellow Slytherins were snickering still about how funny it was to see him go splat on the floor. 'When did Slytherins start picking on Malfoy?' Harry thought to himself, but it wasn't that important so he pushed it out of his mind.

The Slytherins dispersed into the library after Malfoy left, and Harry walked through the deserted corridors, through a few tapestries, and towards the Fat Lady. "Hogs fly." Harry spoke and she opened up the door for him, barely paying attention to him as her attention seemed to be turned to a cup full with brandy.

Walking into the warm common room, Harry spotted Neville, Dean and Seamus pouring over a book. "Hey guys." he said as he approached them, glimpsing at the book not to discretely. "Why are you guys looking into tattoos?" Harry asked.

"Well you know Harry, they have advantages with the ladies." Seamus said, grinning cheekily. He turned the book upside right for Harry to see a picture of a demon cat snarling up at him. "Plus they're cool."

Harry nodded and sat down beside them, letting Seamus tell them which tattoos looked better and which looked like they belonged on a girl. Harry had to admit, he liked the one of a dragon wrapped around an odd looking symbol, its eyes looking dead ahead in such a way that they seemed real.

* * *

Draco had gone back to his dormitory, wishing nothing more then to be left alone. He looked around the room and rubbed his red cheek, wincing at how much it hurt because of his fall. He knew the room would be occupied by his now new enemies, dreading it every moment as he knew they would say some more unkind things to him.

'Goddamn Potter, he just stood there and laughed! That bastard made me think he cared. I hate him, I hate him!' Draco thought as an angry tear slipped down his cheek. After Easter when Harry had left for holidays to the Weasley's, Harry, no it was Potter now, had ignored him. He acted like the last few months had never happened, like Draco had not been his lover.

Maybe to Potter he hadn't been his lover. Maybe he'd been someone he took fucking pity on and now that he'd taken Draco's innocence, virginity, happiness, and the very will he'd had for living, he was finished with Draco. Draco felt like used dirty old garbage thanks to Potter.

Draco felt the old anger, the passionate hate he'd held for Potter the many years he'd known the boy rekindle in his brain. But it wasn't worth it now, Potter didn't care that Draco had loved him.

Yet again, nothing was worth it for Draco. He didn't even think showing up for his last year would be worth it. He should just go home and stay there for the rest of his life. There he would be with his mother, with someone who cared. He would never have to listen to another insult again, or ever look Potter in the face either.

Yet for some reason, it mattered that he didn't leave. He'd stay at school, if only for pure fear of what would happen to him if he did not. Not that it would be much better from the treatment he got at school.

Draco wiped his tears away with his robe and laid down on his bed. Staring up at the ceiling Draco closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep. It would pass the time better then anything.

* * *

Harry was about to get moving to Potions when Cho Chang came running up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Harry." she said, looking at him expectantly. Harry smiled awkwardly at her.

"Hey, Cho." he responded to her sort of halfheartedly.

"I wanted to ask you earlier but I couldn't find you, would you like to go with me to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" Cho asked, smiling prettily. Harry thought this question should have made him happy, or nervous, but it really didn't to either.

"Uh, sure." Harry answered, not knowing what else to say to her. Cho smiled at him and walked away as Hermione gave him a look that was clearly saying 'Now why the hell did you do that?' Harry ignored her and walked with Ron towards the dungeons, Hermione following closely behind.

This was normal; this was something he could remember. Just because he couldn't remember much from this year didn't mean he couldn't get on with his life. Yes this would be good for him, go to Hogsmeade with a girl and get back into playing Quidditch. It would be good to be back into his life again.

* * *

Draco left the great hall intending to go to his Potions class as quickly as possible. The way a few Ravenclaws had been eyeing him told him right away that he was in trouble for simply breathing and that it was either he ran or they beat him up.

So he had left his place at the table, which had gaps on either side of him because no one wanted to eat near him. He'd gotten used to the alienation, and even more used to running away so he didn't get hurt by others.

He was quite good at the games of hide and seek some students would play with him. If he won, he didn't receive any broken bones that he had to crudely heal because he didn't want to go to the Hospital wing too many times. If they won, well let's just say it wasn't a pretty situation for Draco to be in.

When Draco reached the doors of the great hall he saw Harry with Cho Chang, acting rather friendly with her by the looks of things as well. The past year Harry had ignored her for the most part, and she him.

So why the hell was she smiling at him like a temptress and why was he talking to her willingly? It only served to make Draco feel more like a sloppy second on Harry Potter's plate.

Draco had lost what little motivation he had gained to make him get up this morning and go to class just by the sight of them. He no longer wanted to go to class at all; he just wanted to be left alone to hurt.

Draco snuck off easily down the corridors to wander around the castle, hand moving towards his pocket where he kept his small pocket knife. He'd done this a few times before, he knew no one would care about him being gone, and the teacher would probably not notice.

Unless the teacher was Snape. Draco would deal with him later, and if he got a detention for skipping he could care less. He'd skip that too if he had to. He couldn't stand being around Potter right now, and Potions was always with the goddamn Gryffindors.

He grabbed the knife from within his pocket and opened it up, bringing it to his arm slowly. He placed the knife on his wrist, moving the knife carefully across his skin. He felt the sting as his skin gave out to the metal, letting itself be seared open.

Walking down the corridor Draco repeated this motion on various parts of his arm, sometimes redoing a cut multiple times because it had not drawn blood. He felt the pain on his arm and forgot about the pain inside.

Draco walked up a staircase when some of his blood splashed onto the floor, but he barely paid it any mind. A few drops of blood lost, what was that to him? He'd lost everything and it didn't matter anymore, nothing mattered at all. He'd been so stupid to think it ever had.

Draco didn't care anymore that what he was doing to his arm was self mutilation, that it was hurting himself on purpose, and that once in his life the idea had been the most stupid idea to ever be thought up.

Right now all that mattered was feeling his arm burn. As long as it burned it would make him forget everything else, as long as it burned and bled.

* * *

"Harry, you sure you want to try it with Cho again?" Hermione asked him, looking worried. "I mean ever since fifth year you two have barely spoken one word to each other…" She sat down at a table near a cauldron in the Potions classroom.

"We haven't?" Harry asked, not knowing that had been the case, he couldn't really remember.

"Oh come on mate, you can't have that many holes in your memory!" Ron said, laughing at Harry's confused look.

"Harry I still think you should see someone about your memory, it's not good to just forget everything like that from a spell!" Hermione prattled like a mother hen to him, but Harry shrugged and shook off her suggestion.

"I'm sure it'll come back to me, Hermione, stop worrying." Harry told her. "Ron the Quidditch practice tonight—" Harry was about to remind him.

Ron just nodded his head and slammed his Potions book down on the table. "Don't worry about me, okay? I'll be fine… I really will." Ron said. He didn't sound too confident about himself, he never did.

Harry sighed and thought of ways to help his friend, but couldn't think of one short of giving Ron a potion. But that was really out of the question because no one but Hermione could easily accomplish that in this class.

They didn't want to lose to the Ravenclaw team next week; it would probably lose them the cup for this year. He didn't want that at all. Soon the class started to file in and fill up until Snape came striding in and bellowed at them to get a move on with making their potions.

Harry was busy trying to get through the Slytherins to the ingredients in the storage closet when he heard Snape's cranky voice over the small murmur among the class. "Where is Mister Malfoy?"

No one answered him, none knowing of Malfoy's whereabouts. Harry could have cared less about Malfoy's skipping and grabbed the two tongued dead lizard before someone else got to it. "No one knows?" Snape growled out again.

"No Professor." a few people said from the back, and Snape seemed to get grumpier as the class progressed, knowing his favourite student of the year had skipped, skipped his class. Harry on the other hand kept being criticized by Hermione to cut the lizard quickly and swiftly because if he kept doing it slowly they wouldn't get fine pieces.

"Why the hell does it matter about fine pieces?" Harry grumbled to Ron moodily, Malfoy's absence not affecting him in the least.

"No idea mate." Ron replied, trying to fix his nightshade root to Hermione's standards.

* * *

When Draco arrived at his dormitory, he quickly slipped in and got to his bed. Profanity had been spelled all over his covers and he had to spell it clean before he got in, not bothering to take off his clothes.

Draco's arm burned with a passion, but he felt satisfactory with the pain jabbing on his torn flesh. Red marks just starting to scab over marked his pale skin, it helped to remind him he was not a ghost.

Draco wondered for a second if something poisonous had been placed into his bed, but the fear quickly turned into a welcome invite if it wanted to kill him. 'Let them kill me, then I won't have to do it on my own again. And next time, nothing will screw it up.'

Draco settled down into bed, and found that it was safe for today. But he didn't know what would happen tomorrow, or any other day to come. He only hoped he could get out of the rest of this year alive.

Draco closed his eyes to fall asleep, knowing no one would disturb his sleep for now. They might when lunch came, but then he would just run off to the library and hide in his corner. No one ever went near his corner, even when Harry spent nearly every lunch there, no one disturbed him there.

But Harry would never come to his corner again, and Draco only felt his anger for the boy burn more then his arm did. He'd never fall for someone faking kindness again, no matter how lonely he ever got. He'd never be weak again.

Mmk, Review please! -hopes this was clear enough-


	3. Chapter Two: UnRevealing Reflections

Disclaimer: See Prologue, it goes for the whole story.

A/N Oki, I'm slow to update things and the fact I have to borrow a computer now will make my updates.. very few. Lets just say I didn't break my computer so the fact i can't update is not my fault -shifty eyes- Anyways... I'd like to thank my reviewers for the reviews because it keeps me updating! **lovemehatemejustdon'tfearme, chaeli.meep., ura-hd, Black Padfoot** The first chapter wasn't really a chapter, it was a prologue that helps lead up to the story I think really(this isn't my plot so I'm just following the plot!), **sarah, Blonde Dragon, badluck-ngprod, lena.**

Thank you all for your reviews, I lurved them all :)

* * *

Harry had woken up the next day feeling very shaken because of a dream he'd had. He didn't remember much of the dream, no surprise there, but he had a fragment stuck in his mind that he was able to regain after he'd woken up. 

It bothered him to remember those eyes for some reason; they had looked so sad, angry, lost… No not lost. The grey eyes to the nameless face in his dream had not been lost, just angry and upset. It was as if those eyes were speaking for someone to notice their owner's presence.

And maybe it was the fact Harry couldn't recognize the owner and give into the eyes' silent request for attention that his inability to remember his dream was annoying him so. Sighing, Harry shoved a black robe over his head and made his messy hair even worse then when he'd woken up.

"Harry, today's Saturday you know." Ron told him, as if something big was happening today. Harry looked at Ron with a questioning look, knowing no Quidditch match had been set for today.

"Yeah, so?" Harry responded offhandedly, picking up his wand and shoving the piece of wood into his pocket harshly. He was rather annoyed with the memory of his dream poking at the side of his mind consistently.

"Hogsmeade ringing a bell in that thick of head of yours?" Ron said laughing at Harry as he finally figured it out. Harry groaned and went back to his trunk to grab his money. He would expect Cho would want him to buy her something. Why was he going out with her again?

'I need something to get me back on track. I need my life back… even when half of my memories are missing!' Harry reminded himself again. He put his money into the pocket he'd put his wand in and headed out of the dormitory, Ron yelling at him to wait up from the dormitory.

He'd probably meet Cho in the Great Hall for breakfast and figure out what they were going to do then.

* * *

Draco hadn't bothered showing up for breakfast, nor had he even considered going to Hogsmeade for the afternoon either. He knew what would happen if he showed his face in the more popular places for students in the village. He'd get teased, and anything short of torture. 

The last time he'd tried to go into Zonko's he had ended up with a broken nose, dislocated arm, and a real good shiner. The Gryffindor who had started it, Weasel of course, ended up in the same shape as he had though, so it hadn't been the worst memory he'd ever had.

Draco knew that the Slytherin team had a practice later that evening, but he wasn't planning on attending that either. He knew he'd get kicked off the team eventually, but they wouldn't do that until Slytherin played its last match of the year in two weeks time.

How the hell his team had managed to get into the last game still struck Draco hard on the face. He'd played his worst this year, and the fact he knew Gryffindor would demolish them in two weeks left a bitter taste in his mouth not unlike blood pouring into his mouth from a wound.

The last thing he wanted was to see Potter, so how the hell would he work up the gall to fight him on the pitch? What used to be a burning passion to win was now a scared anticipation to run away.

It was starting to give Draco a headache. Draco suddenly got a thought, though, and it flashed through his mind and reminded him that at one point in his life he'd wanted to fight back. 'Why let Potter win again?'

Yes, why let Potter win again? Potter had already hurt him by ignoring him all of a sudden. Potter had already betrayed him by going on with his life, and leaving Draco to go back into his depression.

Potter would not win that match; Draco would try his best to make sure of that. And if he didn't succeed he'd at least know that he hadn't let Potter screw with him more then he already had, literally.

But just because Draco didn't want Potter to win didn't mean that he was going to practice. He'd practice on his own time, away from people.

* * *

Harry had eaten breakfast quickly, feeling better as he drank his juice that today would turn out to be a good day. 

As soon as Cho walked up to him the feeling didn't intensify, though. And when she smiled prettily at him he felt unaffected by it. But that didn't matter, did it?

"Hey Harry, are you ready to go?" Cho asked, smiling down at him with her hands on a purse. Hermione had looked down at a book as soon as Cho had come up to them, and Harry got the sense she didn't want the girl around. But Ron was busy eating the last crumbs off of his plate so Harry doubted it was much of a problem.

Harry smiled up at her as if she were another friend, not feeling any of the nervousness he had felt back in fourth and fifth year. His confidence had to be going up. "Yes, should we get going now?" Harry asked her.

Cho giggled and nodded. She was smiling happily as he got up from his chair and wasted no time in clamping an arm around his arm. "Hermione, Ron, I'll see you guys later okay?" he said to them, and while Ron grunted his acknowledgement, Hermione hadn't said a word. She just stared at her book and pretended not to have heard him.

'What the hell is her problem?' Harry thought to himself, but Cho pulled him away and towards the Great Hall doors along with the rest of the hordes who were also heading to Hogsmeade.

As the afternoon progressed for Harry, the feeling of unease did as well. It had started in Zonko's when a bunch of Ravenclaws had pointed him and Cho out and started whispering in hushed tones, as if he couldn't hear them.

Then in Honeydukes Cho held his hand with hers and he got the distinct feeling that this hand wasn't meant for his. How stupid could that feeling be? Well it was there just the same.

He ignored his feelings for the rest of the trip, and he actually enjoyed talking to her over a bottle of butterbeer. Walking back to the castle with Cho had been enjoyable on the dirt road, but as soon as they caught sight of the castle Harry caught sight of someone else.

Malfoy was sitting by the lake looking rather upset as he flung rocks at the cool water, disturbing the flowing pattern of the water. Cho then got fidgety and pushed Harry to one side, as if to try and keep him away from Malfoy.

She then curled her lip and her once pretty features distorted to rather a rather ugly picture with just one expression. "Ugh, why does he even have to come out here? He should stay in the library looking up curses like a good little Death Eater." she spat out, glaring at the blonde boy with contempt.

Harry had always suspected Malfoy had been a Death Eater, but just to hear someone hate Malfoy as much as he and Ron did was a little disconcerting. Malfoy had never said one word to Cho before, but the way she looked at him and spoke about him told Harry that she hated him more then she could hate anything.

"I don't know, Malfoy was always a git, though." Harry replied, looking down at the dirt road.

"He's more then a git, he's a waste of space." Cho commented, and Harry had to agree with her on that one. As she and Harry walked towards the stone steps of Hogwarts Harry noticed Cho looked back and to glare once more in Malfoy's direction.

"Come on Harry; let's go to the Quidditch pitch." Cho said, and Harry was only happy to oblige. If they stayed near Malfoy it would likely cause another fight between him and Malfoy.

* * *

As the week rolled on Harry spent a lot of him time with Cho. Sometimes they would be in the library studying, sometimes on the pitch playing each other, and sometimes they walk around the lake and talk. 

But no matter how much Harry tried, he couldn't feel what he had once felt for the girl. He kept trying to make himself believe it because his memory loss was driving him insane. All he wanted was his life back.

At night Harry would dream, and every morning all that he could remember was grey eyes. And he felt like the dreams were becoming longer, more intense, even though he could barely remember what happened in them.

After supper one evening, though, his attempt to grasp his life back together broke apart when Cho leaned in to plant a soft kiss on his lips.

They were by the lake again, and he had just finished commenting about how much of a bastard Snape was because yet again in Potions Snape had given him a hard time.

Cho grimaced and smiled at him, starting to lean in with her body, her lips going near his. Harry got a sudden feeling of dread, something, he didn't know what it was, but something was wrong with Cho kissing him.

He then jerked away from her, startling her and making her jerk away from him as well. Harry sighed and looked away from the now angry girl and fumbled around for the right words, knowing any words he used would probably upset her more.

But he tried still. "Cho, I like you but, not in that way." Harry said, looking back at her.

Cho looked hurt and upset, but there was something of an understanding in her face that reassured him he wasn't going to get slapped. "You used to." she commented, before walking away from him silently.

Harry sat down on the lake's bank, dipped a hand in the water and cupped some out of it. Watching the water trickle away Harry looked into the lake and stared at his own reflection.

"What happened to me." he asked it, but the reflection didn't speak back. All Harry saw was his green eyes framed by round glasses, his black hair falling around his face disjointedly, and his lighting bolt scar on his forehead waving back and forth in the water.

His memories weren't going to be unlocked by a reflection.

* * *

Draco's week, on the other hand, had been what Draco thought was the worst week of his life. He'd caught Cho Chang talking to her friends in the library once, and the topic was Harry and how Chang would make her move later on that day. 

Not only had he been putting up with watching them hang around each other the whole fucking week, he now knew what the two were really doing. He'd been comforting himself with the thoughts that they were just friends, but hearing her talk about how she should kiss him first made him want to break down to pieces.

He still loved Harry, and yet hated him so much. He remembered kissing Harry, and he could tell Chang that Harry would like to be kissed roughly on the mouth and have his bottom lip nibbled on. He could also tell her that if she were to bite his ear lobe gently Harry would have a hard on in ten seconds flat.

But this knowledge wasn't of any use to him anymore. And he sure as hell wasn't about to tell that bitch all that he knew about Harry Potter's turn ons so she could use them instead of him.

But after dinner he watched the two with observant eyes and followed their figures with his eyes until they were well out of sight. He could see the way Cho wrapped herself around Harry and just the thought of them kissing, let alone having sex with each other, was enough to send him running to a bathroom.

Draco turned green as soon as his meal started to feel like it was coming up, and plenty of students noticed that. One Slytherin yelled out to the whole Great Hall "MALFOY'S GONNA HURL!" and an uproar was created.

Many laughed and jeered at the pale boy, others cried out 'eeewww,' but there were not sympathizing faces to be found except for Snape, who looked like he was about to hex the entire student body.

Blushing with dead embarrassment, Draco got up from his seat and ran towards the doors to the nearest bathroom he could find. Screams of mirth followed him to the bathroom as he slammed the door open and locked himself inside a cubicle, letting out the contents of his stomach into the toilet in front of him.

Draco flushed the toilet away while angry tears flowed down his face, not only had he been publicly humiliated again, but he knew just what Potter was doing with Chang at this very moment.

The images of her touching him in only a way Draco had made him try to hurl again, but nothing but dry heaves would come out of him. The images danced around his mind and Draco opened up his pocketknife again and cut deep into his skin, hissing out as the long cut opened up and bled.

Draco then cut the initials HP into his arm, the images disappearing as the wounds stung and bled, leaving him only with an empty feeling both in his stomach and in his heart.

Review please! Tell me what you thought of it please.


	4. Chapter Three: first victory

Disclaimer: don't own Harry Potter.

A/N Rejoice computer is fixed! Rejoice I said! hehe. Okay notes on this chapter, I have recently been trying to make my chapters longer so.. hopefully the way I'm going about it isn't ruining the story for anyone. It's not very angsty right now simply because I tell Harry's point a lot here. Kay lovely reviewers, this is for you :P

**BlackPadfoot, **Well if I said why Harry doesn't remember anything I'd give it away :P** lovemehatemejustdon'tfearme, water my blood fire my spirit, somebody, Nik, chaeli.meep., badluck-ngprod.**

* * *

Harry was flying high up in the air on his broom during the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, something that would make or break the year for both teams. It had been a week since telling Cho no, a week of dreams that he could barely remember, and a week of uneasiness from the eyes in those dreams. 

But none of that was in his mind right now; all that was in it was how to find the snitch before Malfoy. The blond was playing well, almost as well as himself.

Malfoy had a sheer look of determination, and it unhinged Harry when he saw the pure fury in that pointy face of his. But Harry kept riding his broom, and when he saw a bit of gold zip around the far end of the pitch he went the other way to trick Malfoy into going that way, too.

Only Malfoy didn't follow, he stayed right where he was and continued looking even when people from the crowds were screaming 'Follow him!' Harry was puzzled at why it didn't work. Malfoy usually followed him when looking for the snitch, but Harry realized the mistake he'd made all too late.

Malfoy seemed to have actually spotted the snitch for once. Not only that but he was zipping across the field for the damn thing and Harry had to race on his firebolt to catch up with him.

The crowd was faded out of Harry's mind as he concentrated on Malfoy and the snitch; his aim was for the gold ball that Malfoy's pale hand reached out for. In a flash of confusion, a moment of distress, Harry felt a feeling of déjà vu as his hand reached out to grasp the small golden snitch's flapping wings.

But it was gone just as swiftly as it had come because, knocked into reality, Harry soon found Malfoy's hand was around the snitch. Harry, no Gryffindor, had lost to Slytherin. Around the pitch everyone was screaming out calls of anger or joy, less of the joy because it was Malfoy who had caught it. Harry could not even begin to understand how he had lost.

Above all it was Malfoy who looked the most shocked, not pleased, just shocked. As he flew down to the pitch, no one greeted him in open arms; they all just nodded to him as if accepting he had just won them the game, which had been closely tied at 120-270.

Malfoy's catching of the snitch brought them up a hundred and fifty points and ending the game, winning Slytherin the match. Incidentally, this lost the Gryffindors the year, as well Quidditch year, at Hogwarts.

Harry flew down and watched Malfoy basically run from the pitch with a sick feeling in his stomach. Malfoy had won, it wasn't right for Malfoy to win. Something had gone wrong, Malfoy had done something to him in those last few minutes, Harry was sure of it.

Harry dropped down to his team, who all looked horrified at their loss, Ron most of all. Ron looked so outraged that he only looked at Harry flabbergasted, unable to do much with his mouth other then open it up and down like a goldfish.

Ginny eyed Harry with concern, maybe even anger, while the rest of the team questioned him for five minutes on what happened. Harry just stood there saying he didn't know as he held his broom tightly.

Harry knew there had been a moment there where his memory had come back, but what was so significant about Malfoy?

* * *

Draco ran away to the locker rooms and dressed as quickly as he could. He wanted to get out of there and to his dorm or somewhere safe. He hadn't expected to win; in fact he'd gotten threats that if he won his life would be over. 

No one followed him into the locker room, and Draco slung his broom over his shoulder briskly. In his rush to get out of the room he tripped over a bench and toppled down to the floor.

He got up hastily on his hands and knees, not bothering to check the scrape that was bleeding on his leg from the impact with the bench. He scrambled to get his broom back into his hands, but his hands felt like they were string.

He was about to throw his broom down and leave it there when it finally sunk in. He had won! He'd spent years trying to win against Potter and the one time he had won, all he could think about was how to not make a few vibrant threats from random Gryffindors come true.

Then again it was debatable: was he just trying to get away from a few idiots or was he trying to get away from Potter himself? Just like the rest of the student body, Draco hadn't caught on that Harry and Cho were not even acknowledging each other's presence.

Draco walked over the muddy ground, hearing the slight squish of his shoes as the sunk into the moist ground. He was stepping onto the stone steps of the castles entrance when he heard Potter call after him.

"Malfoy what the hell did you do to me up there!" Harry's slightly winded voice asked as Harry himself ran up to him; his expression had fury written all over it. Harry's footsteps cracked loudly on the stone steps as he caught up to Draco who had been far ahead of him.

Being in such close proximity with Harry was hurting him so much because he saw in big letters written over Harry's forehead 'Cho Chang Has Been Here' regardless of whether it was really there or not.

Draco got defensive, and stood up straight in his normal black school robes. "What do you mean what did I do?" Draco asked harshly while narrowing his eyes, staring at Potter with scrutiny.

Draco tried not to think about how attractive Harry still was, and how they used to practice Quidditch with each other at night. Draco had gotten better because of Harry's teachings, so what was he on about 'what he did to him' only minutes ago?

"Don't give me that crap, Malfoy. Just before you caught the snitch something happened!" Harry glowered at Draco, but Draco's face only revealed how very confused he was because of that statement.

"Pot-head, I don't know what you're on about, but go to the infirmary and get yourself help. You really need it." Draco said with some satisfaction. He'd been waiting forever to barb out how much betrayal he felt because of what Potter had done.

Potter took the challenge of exchanging insults, something they were well accustomed to. Potter looked determined as he made a stance, balling his fingers up in his robes with strength Draco knew he had.

"Shut up, Malfoy, I know you did something. You're the type to cheat just to win!" Harry accused. Draco lost his calm expression when the words hit him hard, his mouth opening up slightly and his eyes tearing up.

His hate for Potter grew in that one moment to a size he never thought it could have been. Harry had known very well Draco wasn't always the best person in a competition but he always tried to win with what he considered his talent.

Draco clenched his fist together and swung it at Potter, who ducked it and threw him to the ground. Draco tried to kick him off, but before he could knee Potter in the stomach, Potter punched him in the chin.

Forget the fact that this had once been a sexual position between the two boys because it was high time Draco rearranged Potter's face for him. Nothing would have caused him more pleasure at that very moment.

Potter groaned and toppled off of him down the stairs into the muddy ground at the bottom. Draco could taste the blood in his mouth and feel the nerves ache from Potter's assault, but he ignored it and threw himself at Potter, hardly caring that he was about to get very dirty.

Pushing Potter's face into the ground was the best thing Draco had done in a long time, Potter was probably getting mud all over his face and in his damned eyes. Draco would have started screaming at Potter, about how he used him and how he hoped he was taken apart limb from limb painfully and cruelly slow.

But Potter threw him off, and Draco landed painfully onto his back. He cried out in pain, gasping as he heard other students come back from the Quidditch field to find the two seekers fighting like this.

Potter's face was covered in mud and the only thing that seemed to have stayed clean was his glasses, which must have been spelled to stay clean and not break throughout the fight.

Potter moved over Draco who was sitting up while wincing, his clothes caked with drying mud. Draco looked up at Potter and glared at him as hard as he could, and Potter reciprocated the deadly stare.

Finally the students of the other houses had approached and Draco knew they were dying to see more of a fight, but it was cut short because of the teachers making their way through the crowd.

Professor McGonagall was the first to make it through the crowd and stop to study the pair. Draco was still on the ground and Potter was still standing, neither moving nor giving their position away.

"Potter, Malfoy, what is the meaning of this?" she asked in her stern manner, and the two boys looked over to her finally, breaking their hard stares of animosity at each other.

"He started it." Draco said first, reaching up for the steps to pull himself up off the ground.

Someone from the crowd, sounding suspiciously like the Weasel, said, "Sure you did, you slimy snake!" McGonagall turned to the students and stared at them in her 'no nonsense' way.

"Everyone go into the castle, there is nothing to see." she said, and the students did as they were told. Draco heard a few comments about how she was an old goat, and how they would have loved to see him get his arse kicked by Potter.

Once the steps were cleared, except for McGonagall, Snape, Harry, and Draco, McGonagall spoke again. "I was really hoping that you two would have stopped this fighting since the last fight and series of detentions, but as it is, you seem to need a few more nights in detention to get the point…" she said to them.

Snape finished off for her, probably gleeful at being able to give Potter more detentions. "You'll both be serving detention for two nights starting tonight."

Harry didn't protest but Draco knew the idiot hated this about as much as Draco did. As long as he didn't serve his detention with Potter, he would live. He couldn't even look Potter in the face right now.

"Now get back into the castle." McGonagall said, turning back to Snape to say something to him. Draco didn't stick around to hear what it was; he was off like a light into the castle and down the damp corridors towards the Slytherin common room. Draco would do anything to prolong his next meeting with Potter.

* * *

"Goddamn Malfoy." Harry swore as he entered the common room in a frenzied state. He'd just gotten detention because of the bastard and he could barely contain how angry he was. 

The Gryffindors were subdued in the common room, hardly anyone spoke and it was probably due to Harry's loss an hour ago. Hermione and Ron were sitting down in one of the chairs far off in the corner, and Harry joined them there with a scowl on his face.

When Harry sat down next to them, Ron asked him right away what had happened out on the pitch. "Harry, what did Malfoy do? Hermione grabbed me to stop me from helping you there, I'm sorry about that!" Ron asked right away.

Hermione glared at Ron, looking condescending but Ron was ignoring her. Harry was ignoring her, too, because he was all for blaming Malfoy on the strange thing that had happened on the pitch.

"Just before he caught the snitch, something weird happened. I can't explain it but it distracted it, and Malfoy had something to do with it." Harry said to both of Ron and Hermione's confused faces.

"Is that all that happened, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah." Harry said, uncertain why they weren't clueing in on what this meant.

"Er, Harry, sometimes we get distracted. You know, it happens." Ron said as if to console Harry, and he felt like he was the only one who was making a connection between his memory loss and Malfoy.

But their blank faces told him more then enough. Harry stood up, looking from the common room door to the watch on his wrist. He deciphered that there would be enough time to look for Malfoy and get some answers from the boy.

Nothing had jostled his memory like it had today, and Harry could connect two and two. It had something to do with Malfoy.

"Harry, where are you going? Please don't tell me you're going to pick another fight with Malfoy." Hermione asked him, looking at him with a stern look. Harry got the impression she might one day be the next McGonagall.

"I'm just going to the library for something." Harry said, not paying attention to her as he walked away to the door, leaving Hermione and Ron alone in the corner.

"He's going to look for Malfoy, isn't he." Hermione stated, not really asking Ron.

"I hope the git gets what he deserves." Ron said, not moving and inch because Hermione's hand had been on his wrist, closing painfully around it the whole time Harry had been with them, though Harry had not noticed it.

* * *

Harry headed to library first; he'd heard from many that it was the one place Draco spent most of his time, but it was barren except for a few students scattered around the bookcases and tables. 

He then checked the Room of Requirement, but no one had required it for now. A few choice glances in bathrooms held nothing of his search, either. He knew Malfoy wasn't in the Slytherin common room; having heard some Slytherins say they hadn't seen the bastard at the party Slytherin was hosting having won the cup.

Malfoy had to be somewhere gloating over his win, but wherever Harry looked, Malfoy was nowhere to be found. It hadn't occurred to Harry to go back to his dormitory to get the Marauders Map, seeing as curfew was in ten minutes.

So Harry, in a bit of a rush, ran up the many stairs to the Southern Tower where you could get access to a roof like balcony. And it was here where he found Malfoy, sitting down and staring at the warm cloudy night sky.

Clouds moved over the crescent moon eerily fast, and a slight breeze fluttered around the other boy, playing with his hair as the moving air so wished to do. His black school robes he'd been wearing were lying down beside Malfoy, untouched.

Malfoy was cradling his arm, which looked so red and distorted it almost made Harry want to back off before Malfoy noticed him. Harry was unable to move any closer because if he did Malfoy was sure to notice him.

Harry did the best he could to squint through his glasses at Malfoy's arm, and shocked could not explain what he felt when he saw a long scar running down from his wrist to his elbow among new, red, and bleeding cuts.

Harry did not see a weapon around Malfoy's profile, only the moon's soft light playing around in shadows on the balcony. Harry had not been to this place many times; in fact he didn't know why he had thought to look here.

Malfoy's arm moved a bit, and Harry saw something even more disturbing, because there, in scarred skin, were the initials HP. And then it hit Harry again, the same déjà vu he'd experienced earlier.

He knew in an instant that he'd been there with Malfoy before. Harry walked closer to the boy, who suddenly stiffened and turned his head to look at who'd broken his solitude.

Harry watched sad grey eyes stare him down, horror filling into the other youth's face, wiping away all the sorrow that had been there. It was interesting how someone could look so angry and hostile with teardrops falling down his cheeks.

He now knew the person who owned the eyes of his dreams. With just a glimpse of Malfoy's say anguished grey eyes, he knew exactly who it was. It was Malfoy.

A slightly cracked voice asked him, the effects of crying taking a toll on the tone, "What the hell are you doing here, Potter?"

* * *

Review! tell me what you thought of my cliffhanger lol.  



	5. Chapter Four: confrontation helps?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N This chapter is probably not what many were hoping for as in Draco tells Harry what they once were... that is going to be reserved for something much better now that I've got a little help on the plot. Of course... poor Draco will really be suffering here >. I'll have to bake him a little cake when it's all over! Oh yes, I'm sorry for the cliffhanger but I could not resist ;) Thanks to **lovemehatemejustdon'tfearme, Silvas, water my blood fire my spirit, Silverness, BlackPadfoot, volleypickle16, saphirefox, julbug, AmethystAquamarine, ura-hd, ATadObssesive, badluck-ngprod, chaeli.meep.** For reveiewing, I'm glad you like this story :)

* * *

Harry took a minute to regain his thoughts, remembering that he'd come to pummel Malfoy for getting him into detention. Only, Malfoy didn't look like the slimy prat he'd always thought he was. 

"Potter, what the hell do you want," Malfoy demanded again, getting up and picking up his robes, hastily wiping his hand over his cheeks to dry his tears and shoving his robes over his head to hide the scars he hoped Harry had not seen.

Harry looked at Malfoy and got the image of a rope being around that pale neck, which oddly enough looked very much thinner then he'd remembered. He'd imagined this scenario in his mind before, but it was odd he thought of it right now after seeing Malfoy look like this.

He couldn't explain but he knew he'd seen a rope around Malfoy's neck before. "I don't know why I'm here…" Harry said, examining Malfoy with his gaze. He really was thinner then he had ever seen him

"Oh you don't, do you?" Malfoy sneered, glaring at Harry as he took up a stance in front of Harry, crossing his arms around his chest. To some this could have been intimidating, but not to Harry.

Harry stood up straight in front of him, regaining his earlier beliefs that Malfoy had done something to him. The blind rage had been replaced by a sense of sympathy brought on by Malfoy's tears.

'I was coming here to ask him what he did to me, wasn't I?' Harry reminded himself, and his confidence came back to him swiftly enough to eye Malfoy right in his gray eyes. "What did you do to me on the pitch?" Harry demanded stubbornly, his voice taking a harsher tone.

Malfoy only looked at Harry in confusion and his eyebrows rose in a disbelieving fashion. "Are you still on about that, you idiot? Leave me the hell alone, you've done enough already."

Harry really didn't think that was fair, he and Malfoy always fought with fists so it wasn't like he'd done anything to Malfoy that Malfoy hadn't already done to him. Harry moved in front of the entrance to the balcony, blocking Malfoy's escape route.

Malfoy groaned and stomped his foot, Harry thought he even saw a bit of desperation flash through Malfoy's face. "I didn't do anything to you on that damn pitch, Potter. Don't you get that! Now let me go!" Malfoy exclaimed forcefully.

Harry frowned and loosened up his muscles that had been standing stiff while he blocked the entrance to the balcony. The moonlight still shone over their heads but it didn't make Malfoy look soft anymore. "You didn't?" Harry asked as his face screwed up in confusion.

Malfoy would have gloated about it and confessed eventually so he could have another one of his 'brilliant' moments in attempting to make Harry's life a living hell, so the fact that Malfoy was looking apprehensive made Harry wonder if Malfoy had done something to him on the pitch to make him lose.

"No, I didn't," Malfoy confirmed. Harry was still blocking the entrance, but he was lost in his own thought enough not to realize the impatient blonde youth who was standing in front of him.

'What happened, then? Something did but if it wasn't Malfoy who did something to distract me what was it?' Harry kept asking himself.

Malfoy cleared his throat, bringing Harry back into the real world and breaking the silence. "Potty, as much as I'd absolutely love to stay and chat I want to get out of the cold. Now, move out of the way," Malfoy quipped.

"Do you always have to be so rude?" Harry growled out, but he moved out of Malfoy's way. Draco sent Harry a glare that Harry felt told him to 'go to hell and rot,' but he wasn't about to do that.

"Yes I do, Potter," Malfoy stated; saying less then he wanted to say. Harry rolled his bright green eyes and let Malfoy pass him.

"You don't have to be, Malfoy."

Malfoy stopped his stride right beside Harry in the entranceway, turning around to face Harry angrily. Harry thought it was somewhat suffocating to be so close to Malfoy, but he only looked right into Malfoy's eyes.

"Potter, you're fucking insane. You've got to be to think that after all you put me through I'd even consider being nice to you," Malfoy spat with such venom and raw anger that Harry almost shivered in spite of himself.

But the words also made him defensive. Malfoy had been the one to taunt him for six years without much of a cause, how could he even think of placing the blame on Harry for their constant fights?

"After all I put you through? What about what you put me through, Malfoy? I put up with you picking fights for six years; I never picked a fight with you, Malfoy, not once. So how about you tell me what I put you through because the way I see it, I did nothing to you," Harry ground out through clenched teeth.

Malfoy only seemed to get more pissed off, his eyes widening up dangerously that it could be mistaken for surprise. "Nothing! You did _nothing_? You call the way you've been treating me for the past month nothing?" Malfoy cried out, his voice getting higher pitched with every word.

"I have not treated you any differently for the past six years Malfoy." Harry said, wondering how he could have treated Malfoy any differently from his usually treatment.

"You bastard, you—" Malfoy started to say before he stopped, as if something hit him and made him think, and look at Harry with a calculating stare. "Have you been under any spells lately, Potter?" Malfoy asked, his anger calming down a notch and turning into chagrin.

Harry was caught off guard by the question. Yes, he had been under a spell, in a way, for the past month. His hesitation was enough for Malfoy to get an idea of the answer. Malfoy suddenly looked like he was mentally kicking himself from the upset expression on his face.

"I'm a fucking idiot," Malfoy whispered, and started to move away from Harry.

'Oh shit, it looks like he's going to start crying again!' Harry thought to himself as Malfoy started to move away from him and into the barely lit staircase of the South Tower.

Harry didn't know exactly what to say or how to react. This brought up a new question to his mind of why Malfoy was acting so peculiar. "Malfoy, where are you going?" Harry called after him but Malfoy didn't answer him as he started to descend down the stairs and out of Harry's view.

Harry started to follow Malfoy down into the staircase and down the winding steps, calling after the blonde again. "Malfoy, wait!"

Malfoy stopped but didn't look back at Harry, and he was only a few feet away from Malfoy when he stopped behind him as well. "What do you want, Potter?" The way Malfoy spoke sounded like he was trying to keep his voice from breaking, and Harry thought fast.

He wanted to tell Malfoy for some strange reason why he was under a spell. It was disconcerting to see Malfoy look so broken. "I haven't been able to remember much from the past year."

"What do you mean?" Malfoy asked. Harry could hear a sniffle that Malfoy tried to stifle and Harry felt worse. He didn't understand why Malfoy was so upset but he wanted to.

Malfoy was still standing there on the step but his posture was slightly crooked, and the light from the burning torches created a dance of glowing orange lights across the two boys. It was eerie in a way.

"I mean I can't remember the past year because I got hit with a spell that messed with my memory." Harry replied, not wanting to say too much about when and why he got hit with the spell.

Malfoy didn't seem to have much of a reaction to this. He stood there silently for a few seconds before making a slight movement with his shoulders and turning his face to eye Harry warily. "Really?"

Harry pictured Malfoy sounded almost hopeful, and he nodded his head slowly. Harry knew he looked serious and sincere but for some reason Malfoy was still eyeing him with distrust.

"Yes, Malfoy, really. I can't even remember kicking your ass back in January." The shadow that crossed over Malfoy's face when Harry said this hid the smile at the memory of that fight. It hadn't really been a fight, more like a very bloody lover's quarrel.

"You must have lost you memory to forget that day," Malfoy said wryly, seeming to loosen up in Harry's presence. Harry nodded his shaggy black head and stepped down a step on the stairs, holding out his hands on front of Malfoy.

Malfoy looked at his out stretched hand but didn't make any move to take it in the dancing orange light. "Malfoy, can we call a truce or something?" Harry asked.

Malfoy nodded, his blonde strands falling down over his shoulders, and he turned his head around again. "Or something, Potter," he said and continued the descent down the staircase, leaving Harry to put his hand down by his side.

'Well that went well…' Harry thought as he stood on the stone stairwell and started to slowly make his way down as well, Malfoy's footsteps lost their echo as the Slytherin got further away from him.

'I still don't know what the hell happened on the pitch, though.' Harry reminded himself and he groaned. He wasn't any closer to figuring that one out as he was to understanding if he and Malfoy had actually agreed to be friendly... friendlier.

Harry continued down the staircase and back to the tower, vowing to himself that a long sleep was in order. Between thoughts of his lost memory and Malfoy's strange behavior he was sure he was losing his mind.

* * *

Draco left Harry/Potter standing there on the steps with his hand outstretched, refusing to take it. He felt like bouncing down the steps with the thought that maybe Harry hadn't wanted to hurt him, he simply didn't remember the relationship they had. 

By the time he got halfway down the castle towards the dungeons, though, he couldn't help but feel the doubts sneak up and linger over his mind. What if Potter wasn't telling him the truth? What if he was just fucking with Draco still? What if Harry really had lost his memory and would never want to be with him again because he couldn't remember what they once had?

The doubts weighed down on Draco and took away his moment of happiness, and as he crossed the darker hallways towards his common room he only got a sense of dread. He had to see Harry again to know if he really meant what he'd said up in the South Tower, it would reassure him on many levels.

Draco reached his common room with mixed feelings that he knew he'd have until Potter approached him again. He whispered the password to the wall and it slid open for him, the stones grinding together as he stepped through the entranceway.

The few students still in the common room regarded him with contempt and one told him to get out but Draco darted across the green-lit room and down the halls towards his dormitory.

Opening the door to his dormitory he went quietly to his own bed, slinking into it silently. He didn't bother to get on his night robes, figuring it would be safer to dress when no one was in the room with him.

The look Zabini had given him when he tried to sneak into the dormitory towards his own bed had been murderous. Crabbe and Goyle had, for the past year, only regarded Draco with silence, ignoring him otherwise. Maybe the fact Crabbe and Goyle had at one point always hung out with him made them nicer to him.

Draco doubted that, though, it was probably because they were too daft to think of what to do with their so-called leader out of business, as it were. Draco pulled his silver bedding up over his body, ignoring the discomfort coming from his scratchy robes.

He really should have dressed into his night robes regardless of whether or not he'd get beat up by Zabini or the others. It would have been more comfortable at least.

Draco moved around under the sheets as he took his robes off over his head and placed them down on the side of his bed. Next to go was his shirt, which took some difficulty, and he had to sit up to pull it over his head. His hair was messed up and flying all over the place but he didn't pay that much mind.

He then lay down again and unbuttoned his pants, pulling them down his hips and off his legs with a little more ease then his shirt. He placed his shirt and pants near the pile of clothes on the side of his bed as well and lay back down in only his boxers.

It felt much better to have his naked skin hit the soft sheets then have it scratched by his pants and shirt. He pulled the sheets over his cooling body again and wrapped them around his slim figure trying to get the heat of his body to warm the sheets up and insulate him for the night.

He shivered slightly as the cool air around his body took its time warming up, but he wasn't going to risk opening those green drapes to take his time rummaging through his trunk for his night robes. He had enough bruises for one night.

His arms still hurt but dried blood only caked his arm by now, and all the emotions that had run through his mind today had taken their toll. He felt a relief as his body started to shut down and his eyes began to droop as he felt the oncoming sleepy feeling catch up to him.

Maybe that saying 'tomorrow is a better day' finally could be applied to Draco Malfoy's life. Draco still believed it was too much to hope for, though, as he snuggled into his sheets for another restless night of sleep.

Review and tell me what you thought!


	6. Chapter Five: hopscotch

Disclaimer: don't own Harry Potter or anything related to it.

A/N Here's a long over due update :P **Thank you** to all who reviewed, they are greatly appreciated , Umm other notes would be to watch out for the next few chapters and cookies go out to whoever can guess what's going to happen!

* * *

"Harry, mate, is that you?" Ron asked Harry when he tried to tiptoe not so gracefully into the dormitory. 

Harry halted in his steps and looked over to Ron's bed in the dark answering, "Yeah…" Harry did not want to recount the strange happenings with Malfoy to his best friend, but he knew it would be weaseled out of him eventually.

"Did you find the ferret?" Ron asked eagerly, his dark figure sitting up on the bed.

Harry shook his head, not much use since Ron couldn't see him in the dark. "Well did you?" Ron asked again

"Yeah, but it didn't go as I wanted it to," Harry responded dully. Offering Malfoy his hand because Malfoy seemed to be falling apart over Harry's lost memories had not been on his to do list when he'd been in a blind rage earlier.

"Did that bastard get away?" Ron hissed, his form getting rigid.

"Yes, but don't worry, he'll get his," Harry replied half-heartedly, the memory of Malfoy's eyes looking hurt made him hope otherwise. Now he didn't want Malfoy to get his.

Ron's silhouette settled back down to a lying position on the ground. "I—gue-uuuuh-sss," Ron yawned out, and neither spoke again for that night.

* * *

The next day greeted an anxious Draco. He'd gone to breakfast with the usual threats and shunning, but what really mattered to him was Harry. Potter wasn't ignoring him, but he wasn't paying any special attention to him when he first entered the Great Hall either. 

Zabini was, though. "Fuck off, Malfoy, we don't want you sitting at our table anymore," he hissed out at him. Everyone at the table sensed a fight coming on and the Slytherin table seemed to disperse in a matter of minutes, saving themselves with excuses to go to classes.

The entire Great Hall, including the teachers, was watching the scene play out. Draco bet that the only reason the rest of the Great Hall wasn't helping to get Draco to quit school altogether was because of the teachers.

Draco took one of the now vacant seats far away from Zabini, though it wasn't much protection as other Slytherins near him were glaring at him as well. Draco tried to ignore it and eat but soon the angry glares sent his way burned the back of his head.

He got up, deciding he would go to the kitchens for meals from now on. It would be much more pleasant and, above all else, safer for him. Walking out of the Great Hall he heard the cheers.

"Yes, he's finally gone!"

"Awesome job, Zabini!"

And, "Wonder if we can get him to leave the school entirely."

Those were only a few of the whispers Draco heard on his way out of the Great Hall. 'I'm not leaving, you bastards. Do your fucking worst but I'm not going to leave so you can all feel like you've accomplished something,' Draco thought to himself.

Draco would have looked at Harry to see his reaction, if he had the time, to see if last night really had happened at all, but classes would start sooner then later and he had to get to the kitchens and back as quickly as possible.

* * *

Harry watched Zabini pick on Draco, and watched Draco leave with an angry feeling building up in him. How the hell could the teachers let that play out and not do a thing to stop it? Malfoy had every right to be at that table as Zabini did, they were both horrible. 

Harry knew he really shouldn't feel sympathy for Malfoy but he couldn't help it, not after he'd had that dream again last night. As always the face was distorted and blurred when he tried to recall the dream. But those eyes, those grey eyes, were still there and watching him.

This time, though, he'd told Hermione about his dream because the eyes led him to Voldemort. He knew the face had been so clear while he dreamed, but as soon as he was in front of Voldemort and Voldemort screamed that spell out at him he forgot everything except those eyes.

"Harry, is the dream about what happened during Easter?" Hermione asked as she took a sip from her pumpkin juice before Draco had strolled in.

Harry was about to say, "Yes, I think—" when Malfoy had come in and Zabini had told him to get out. After a minute Harry got up as well, hoping he could catch up with Malfoy.

"Harry where are you going?" Hermione asked when he got up off his chair, leaving his unfinished toast on his plate. Harry shrugged, not really feeling like making up an excuse.

"I'm just going to go back to the dormitory for something," he said, leaving the hall without explaining the rest of his dream to Hermione. He actually forgot he wanted to talk to about it.

Ron looked up from the Daily Prophet he'd been reading just in time to see the back of Harry's head going out the doors. Looking back at the plate, he frowned because he was sure Harry had only been starting to eat the piece of toast. What could distract him enough to make him forget about eating?

"Hermione, do you think Harry wants that last piece of toast?" Ron asked, and she laughed at his confused expression, shaking her head 'no.'

* * *

Harry spotted Malfoy when he got closer to the kitchens. Malfoy was about to tickle the pear when Harry called out to him. "Malfoy!" 

Malfoy looked up with a cautious glance and one hand shooting down into his robes, Harry suspected to grab his wand. Harry wondered how badly Malfoy had been ridiculed over the past year to make him so wary of anyone, seeing as he couldn't remember.

"Whoa, Malfoy, it's only me. Don't have to hex me now," Harry said with a small smirk, and Malfoy only looked at Harry as if he was Snape in a pink tutu. Harry dropped the smirk and cleared his throat. "Want someone to join you?" Harry asked innocently enough.

"You want to?" Malfoy asked. He looked so surprised that his grey eyes had widened considerably and his mouth hung open unattractively. Harry only calmly laughed at him. Malfoy lost the look and scowled at him, getting defensive quicker then a viper would.

Harry sighed, realizing that if he didn't treat Malfoy with an easily seen respect of sorts Malfoy wouldn't even bother talking to him. Easing up and acting a little more serious, Harry replied, "Yes, Malfoy, I want to keep you company. Zabini's a prat."

"Don't let that be your only reason," Malfoy mumbled, looking slightly upset. 'Is there any pleasing him?' Harry wondered, but Malfoy was already tickling the pear. It squirmed and giggle, then the handle appeared.

Malfoy took a grasp of it, and Harry watched the hand. He was reminded of something again, heat rushing to his cheeks immediately because of it. Why Malfoy's hands reminded him of THAT particular activity, Harry didn't even think on it.

Following Malfoy into the kitchen, the smells of food reminded him he didn't even begin to start on that piece of toast he'd buttered in the Great Hall. "Harry Potter!" Harry heard Dobby squeal in delight.

Looking down at the elf Harry offered him a warm smile, ignoring Kreacher who also came to service him. Kreacher may hate it but he was Harry's elf now, as much as Harry's death would please him. "Hello, Dobby."

"Hello, Mister Malfoy!" Kreacher said more happily, and Malfoy nodded his way. Harry had one second to wonder how Kreacher knew who Malfoy was, and why he seemed so fond of him.

Malfoy said right away after the house elves greeted them, "I want some toast and tea right this minute, got that?" Malfoy may have been ordering the elves but the way he said and acted while ordering them around suggested he was more anxious to get away from them.

"Just let me have a piece of toast, Dobby," Harry said to the elf waiting eagerly to get Harry's order.

"Yes, Harry Potter, sir, right away!" Dobby said happily, scuttering off to get Harry some toast. Harry stood beside Malfoy as their orders were gotten for them, Harry glancing over at Malfoy.

"Not ordering them around like they're lower then you today?" Harry asked, seeing if the ass he knew as Malfoy would come back. He wasn't sure how to act around Malfoy right now. Not that he'd ever been able to act well around him.

"I get treated like a house elf enough by everyone around here, there's no reason to treat them like I did anymore," Malfoy said.

"I noticed," Harry replied, but that was yet again the wrong thing to say to Malfoy. Malfoy acted like a bird with ruffled feathers and snapped back at Harry.

"How could you not?"

"Sorry," Harry muttered. "When is that food going to get here?"

Harry and Malfoy stayed silent after that until Dobby and Kreacher brought them their breakfasts. Malfoy took his carefully, sipping the tea and savouring how warm it was.

Harry grabbed the toast off the plate and smiled at Dobby in thanks, scarfing it down right away. Malfoy gave him a look and rolled his eyes with a weird familiarity. "What?" Harry asked him.

"You know, if you savour your food you might actually realize it's in your stomach." Malfoy preached. Harry glared at him for a second, before taking another bite of his toast and chewing it slowly, taking his time to swallow it.

Malfoy got his old smirk back for a second. Harry realized how horrified he seemed to get once he realized he was getting comfortable with Harry, and took the smirk off his face.

Harry sighed and ate his toast slowly, leaving the kitchens with Malfoy. They parted without words, both not entirely sure they wanted to give an inch of trust to the other. 'Well, at least Malfoy can be civil,' he thought as he reached the charms corridor.

Once Harry saw Hermione and Ron, Hermione holding two book bags, he realized he'd left the Great Hall in such a hurry he'd completely forgotten to take his books along with him.

Harry smiled at Hermione apologetically. "Thanks, Hermione." Hermione only smiled back at him and handed his books over to him silently, not bothering to give him a lecture on how important his books were.

"What did you get in the dormitory Harry?" Ron asked him.

"I don't know," Harry responded, grinning at how confused Ron seemed and how Hermione was laughing at Ron.

"You two are in on something, aren't you?" Ron said suspiciously.

"Nope."

"We're not Ron."

"Then what are you on about, Harry?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged, heading into the charms classroom to take his and Ron's usual seats at the back.

"Nothing, Ron, forget it," Harry replied, but Ron didn't seem satisfied with being told that. He didn't act too immature about how weird Harry was acting, but he wasn't happy about being left out of Harry's thoughts.

* * *

Draco hated Herbology. He loathed it with a passion ever since a mandrake screamed in his ear and knocked him out during second year. Now he stood glaring at the hopsroot plant with detest. 

The hopsroot kept moving its roots on him, refusing to be planted in the rich soil. Draco worked alone, like always, and tried shoving the hopsroot into the pot. The roots resisted and the planted hopped right out of Draco's hands to hide behind a table leg.

Walking angrily towards the quivering plant, Draco bent down to grab it when a foot collided with his ankle. Yelping in pain, Draco lost his balance and fell to the floor. Glaring as he looked up at Zabini, he thought about what he had done to gain this new enemy.

It wasn't like he'd ever really said or done anything to Zabini to give him a whole lot of reason to lash out at him lately. Zabini spat on his cheek, and stepped over him, scuffing dirt onto Draco's robes.

Cringing in disgust of having spit on his cheek, he wiped it off and fought the urge to run off and hide from Zabini. Draco slowly got up, looking for Professor Sprout. She was busy helping Crabbe and Goyle get their hopsroot into the pot so she must not have seen Zabini kick him.

Draco tried not to cry out when he stood up, his ankle bruised from the harsh kick. Draco felt something brush up against his leg, and looked down to see his hopsroot lying calmly at last at his foot.

Picking the plant up, he limped over to his plot and carefully planted the hopsroot with his hands, getting them dirty and not caring one bit. Patting the soil down and taking his watering can, he took pride for once in watering a plant.

Around him students were still scrambling to get their plants into the soil. Professor Sprout noticed this and awarded Draco fifteen points for a job well done. Draco wished she hadn't because the scowls, Zabini's especially, scared him.

* * *

As soon as lunch came around, Draco was running off towards the library. He was certain Zabini was on a personal mission to make his life living hell, and right now the only thing he wanted to do was get lost in reading. 

He was enjoying his book when someone sat across from him with a thump. Draco looked up to see Zabini's dark eyes staring him down. Draco gulped and eyed him warily, reaching down into his robes for his wand.

"What do you want?" Draco asked as he eyed Zabini's every move apprehensively.

Zabini only sat back on the chair and put his arms behind his head, leaning back as he stretched his back. "Can't you tell?" he asked in an arrogant tone.

Draco growled out dangerously as he clutched his wand within his robe. Zabini was acting too comfortable for Draco to feel safe, even with Madame Pince watching the library like a hawk.

"Oh yes, you wanting to kill me like the rest of this school, that's easy enough to tell. Can you just leave me alone?" Draco said. He was looking around the table for a way to escape Zabini without getting himself cursed.

"I don't want to," Zabini said simply, grinning maliciously at him. Draco soon saw how many people were eyeing them, waiting for another fight to erupt. Draco looked over his shoulder, and Zabini took that moment to grab him by the collar of his shirt.

Whispering into Draco's ear, Zabini hissed roughly, "If you come into the Dormitory tonight, I'll make sure you wish you were never born." Zabini let him go and sat back down across from Draco before standing up.

As Zabini walked away, their audience scowled at Draco and showed their disappointment that Zabini hadn't done worse by booing. Madame Pince put a stop to it right away, though. "If you don't all quit it, I'll throw you all out!" she yelled sternly, and the library was once again silent with only quills scratching parchment for noise.

Draco gathered up his books and ran out of the library, heading for the South Tower for safety from Zabini. How was he going to pull off not going to the dormitory for a night? And what if Zabini would make sure he never went back to his dormitory?

Draco wasn't about to risk that threat and go into his dormitory. Oh no, he'd save his skin tonight and find a place to sleep, even if it meant a cold, dusty, stone floor of an empty classroom.

'What about all my stuff?' Draco thought and he stopped on his way up the stairs to the South Tower. He could worry about where he'd sleep later, he had to get his trunk and belongings out of that dormitory as soon as possible without being caught by Zabini.

'I should have just killed myself and gotten it over with,' Draco thought as he walked back down the steps, checking around him all the time for signs of other students.

* * *

Draco had gotten into the dormitory without problems, most of the Slytherins ignoring him when he walked into the common room. All of the other sixth year Slytherins were out enjoying their lunch break, but Zabini might be planning to kill Draco. 

Draco first pulled the top of his trunk open and grabbed some of the items on his dresser to shove them inside. He was setting himself on figuring out how to magic the trunk to float as well as be invisible, while he somehow got it out of the common room and past the corridors to an empty classroom.

Not to mention what would happen if Dumbledore found out he'd moved himself out of the dormitories unannounced. Draco was pondering what to do if Dumbledore approached him about it and how he would explain something he didn't even want to explain to Snape when someone came from behind and pushed him down onto his bed painfully.

"I told you if you came—"

"You said tonight!" Draco cried out in fear, Zabini's hands were too close to his neck for his comfort. 'I don't want to be killed painfully!' Draco thought to himself in desperation, unable to say it aloud because Zabini was pushing his neck down to the bed.

Zabini laughed and released the pressure on Draco's neck. "You're right, I did. Well I guess I'll have to get you later," Zabini said and got up off of Draco and the bed. Draco rolled over and started to breathe right again.

Draco was afraid to move. He'd been in this situation before where others tried to make him miserable, but never one of the Slytherins. He knew he was fucked the minute Zabini left the dorm.

"I wouldn't bother taking your stuff with you, I'll find you eventually," Zabini told him as soon as he got up off his own bed. Draco glanced over at him once he was out of the door and stared at his trunk.

'Maybe I'll just hide for a few days and let this whole thing blow over,' Draco decided, leaving his trunk in the room when lunch ended. He went to his next class mulling over hiding places

Review please! Just tell me whatchya think.


	7. Chapter Six: too late for saviours

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry potter

A/N Think of this as my Christmas present to readers. It's only half beta'd because my Beta is gone on Holidays right now. I'm very tired right now so if at the end my attempt to look things over is worsened... please don't kill me. **To answer** some things: Harry will be getting his memories back slowly, it will take time so be patient, even if half the time you want to strangle him xD And thank you for the Room of Requirement suggestion Aura and Ruby, I think I will be using it! Silverness I think you nailed it, Zabini did want to do more to Draco then just kill him, I apologize for doing this Draco. Death By Failure, this is so you do not suffer anymore :P I tried to make the ending more to rules but I doubt I succeeded.If it doesn't make sense I had to cut out bits but there's a link in my profile to look at to read it fully intact. It doesn't matter that much, you can get the main idea from it still... (I think, Sorry!) I'm needing to sleep really, really soon. So Merry Christmas and goodnight!

Warnings: Rape Scene (It's because me and my story consultant Silvas like it!) I yet again offer my apologize for my inability to write sex scenes of any sort. (It was decided last minute, why there are no warnings before this)

* * *

Dinner was something the same as usual; only two people were missing form the Great Hall. Draco Malfoy, people didn't mind in the slightest that he was absent, and Harry Potter. Now the fact that Harry Potter was missing offended some people, such as Ron Weasley. 

"Hermione, where the hell is Harry? He was acting weird all day and now he doesn't show up for dinner," Ron asked Hermione, glaring at the empty seat beside him that Harry usually occupied.

Hermione gave the seat one glance before smiling. "He's probably being forced into detention, Ron, he picked another fight with Malfoy, remember?" She then went back to eyeing the Ravenclaw table and muttering something under her breath.

Ron saw the light and grinned, knowing detention was the only thing that would distract Harry; it was probably being served with Snape. Ron didn't envy him for being distracted. 'I guess I can let today go,' Ron thought to himself.

While Ron set his mind at ease, Harry and Malfoy were once again in the kitchens eating together silently. Malfoy looked like he was calming down, as if he'd been on his toes all day trying to dodge mad runespoors.

"Alright there, Malfoy?" Harry asked, Malfoy looking up with a fading panic set in his grey eyes.

"I'll be fine," Malfoy responded curtly, eating more of his chicken slowly. It was as if Malfoy was savouring the last meal he would ever have. Harry watched his movements; a little concerned because of the limp Malfoy had walked in with.

Harry didn't attempt to make more conversation after that, and Malfoy didn't seem to want to invite conversation either. The silence between them wasn't broken until the kitchen door opened, to reveal a stern and annoyed Professor McGonagall.

"Mr. Potter, Mr Malfoy, why do you feel you do not have to grace the Great Hall with your presence tonight?" she said authoritatively.

Harry and Malfoy shared equal sheepish glances, breaking away some of the strain in the air between them. Harry responded to her question. "Professor, we came here to try and communicate…" Well, it had started off strongly, but ended up trailing off as Harry couldn't think of anything to back it up.

"Well as lovely as it is knowing you and Mr. Malfoy are trying to get along, you both have a detention tonight and I came here to inform you where it will be." McGonagall was about to continue when a house elf came up to her and asked her what she wanted, looking horrified she'd been there for one minute and hadn't been served right away.

"Not right now, Twinks, not right now!" the professor ordered, looking sternly at the two boys in front of her. "I expect you to both be in the third corridor in thirty minutes. If not, you can be sure to get a worse punishment then cleaning up after some prankster."

The eager to please house elf would not stop pulling at McGonagall's robes so she finally caved in and exclaimed, "Oh alright, Twinks! Get me some tea if you must!" The house elf then zipped off, looking as if the sun had just shone out of the professor's arse.

"Well, Malfoy, I will see you in thirty minutes," Harry said, putting down the fork he'd just been using to mangle his chicken. Malfoy looked up at Harry, slightly alarmed.

"Fine, Potter, see you in thirty minutes," was the only reply Harry got from Malfoy. Harry walked up from the kitchens to the third corridor to view what he was about to clean up and boy was it a mess.

"Well isn't this just perfect… looks like something Fred and George would have pulled sometime in their lives… just wonderful," Harry said to himself scathingly as he calculated how much work it was going to be to clean the mess up.

The hallway was littered with dark red glitter, the ones that stuck to your clothes and no matter what you tried they didn't come off for at least twenty hours, and dungbombs, giving the worst reek to ever grace this hallway in the past month.

Harry glanced over the work he had to do and partially wanted to blame Malfoy for this, but had a feeling it wasn't Malfoy who'd gotten them stuck in this mess. It only made him feel worse.

Draco walked at a calm pace, feeling somewhat grounded finally. An afternoon of being taunted and harassed by Zabini had left him trembling inside until his quiet supper with Harry had soothed his uneasy nerves.

He'd planned on skipping the detention, wasn't like it mattered. He never showed up for his detentions anymore; what was missing another one to him?

"Hello, Malfoy, it seems I found you," Zabini said from the shadows, stepping into the light from a corner. Draco paused in his steps, wondering when he'd learn to stop feeling calm at school.

Draco wasn't so sure he wanted to skip detention now, with Zabini's dark eyes fixated on him. Zabini stepped closer to him, and he backed up again. He wasn't so sure why Zabini scared him, but any sensible person would run the other way with that stare looking directly at them.

Zabini took another few steps closer to Draco, smiling at him maliciously. "You know, I could snap your fingers in two, I could twist your knee calves around, I could strangle you to death… Think that sounds reasonable for a Death Eater like yourself, Malfoy?" Zabini asked him.

Draco was horrified. He wanted to run and go to his detention, because at least then he'd be able to find help if Zabini got closer to him. "I'm…" Draco said weakly. Draco didn't bother wondering why this was happening; all he cared about was escaping.

"I'm? What, no protests? Should I tell Dumbledore that you confessed to it then? I think I should have some fun though, pay you back for those things you did to me.." Zabini practically snarled out. 'What the hell did I do to you?' Draco's mind snapped back, but Draco's mouth wouldn't open so he could retort back to the dark haired boy.

"I…" Draco once again tried to say.

"I what? Fuck you, Malfoy; can't even say a goddamn thing to me, can you? You pathetic fuck," Zabini raged, and got too close to Draco, almost an arm's reach away from the blond.

Draco stared into Zabini's angry face and he shook slightly from the sheer force of hatred he saw there. 'I have to get out of here!' Draco's mind yelled at him, but Draco stood rooted to the spot.

"N…" The word 'no' tried to come up but didn't quite make it.

Once Zabini's hand closed around his sleeve, though, Draco found his muscles. Draco was off, speeding away from Zabini up the stairs towards the third corridor. Zabini jerked back when Malfoy got away from him, watching the back of his blond head whipping away.

"You can't run forever, Malfoy. You'll get what sick fucks like you deserve," he seethed, scuffing his feet on the ground before returning to the shadows of the dungeon's corridors.

Draco arrived in the third corridor trying to catch his breath. He could hardly explain the adrenaline pumping through his body or the concerned look Harry sent his way. Draco didn't bother to fix his wild hair, letting it stick out at odd ends.

'I don't have a goddamn clue where I'm going to hide tonight… I'm going to die before the night is over,' Draco kept thinking in his head over and over. He was near hysterics until he realized the mess he was expected to clean up.

He stared at the floor and walls in shock, momentarily forgetting his distressed state. "What's wrong, Malfoy?"

Draco looked at Harry and though he wanted to offer the other a smile, it came out more as a sneer. "What?" Harry asked again, looking at Draco with that damn look he'd used to look at him with. Harry would always use it when he thought Draco was acting strange.

"I just… got in trouble," Draco offered, taking out his wand to banish away the glitter.

Harry looked like he was about to ask Draco more questions but Professor McGonagall showing up effectively silenced him. Draco wasn't sure if he was thankful of that or not. He did want Harry to notice him, right?

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, for finally gracing your detentions with your presence. Hand me your wands," she told them, holding out her hand when Filch appeared with a pair of buckets and muggle rubber gloves.

The buckets were dropped in a dramatic way to the floor, water splashing up the sides. "Thank you, Argus," McGonagall said to Filch, who grunted and glared at Harry, still sensitive about his cat Harry had singed in one of their fights during Christmas break.

Harry handed her his wand without a fight but Draco was less relenting. "You expect us to wash this corridor with buckets? Are you mad?" Draco asked, believing she was. That red glitter was not going to come off with water; it would come off to stick all over the two boys, though!

Harry snorted as he kept his laughter in, looking falsely serious when the professor sent him a condescending look. "I am not mad, Mr. Malfoy, merely making up for the long over due detentions you've accumulated over the past month."

Harry was curious about this. Twice McGonagall referred to Malfoy skipping detention. He had to ask the boy about it once she left. "I'll leave you to it," McGonagall said, looking satisfied as she walked away.

Draco muttered under his breath. "I shouldn't have let Zabini scare me. Maybe McGonagall sent him…"

"What about Zabini?" Harry asked, wanting to find out what was going on in the blond's head. Malfoy looked up, once again startled. "Is he still causing you trouble?"

Draco shrugged, and nodded. "He is." Draco went to pick a bucket up after his simple response, wishing to leave the topic where it stood: not talked about. "Let's get going, Potter; I want to go to bed sometime tonight."

Harry picked up the first pair of rubber gloves and put them on, smiling at Draco. "We'll never get the red sparkles off," he said, and Draco knew he was right.

"Let's just use the air freshener first, I can't stand this smell anymore," Draco said, reminding Harry of how bad the smell he'd sadly grown accustomed to was. Harry looked back on the floor to check if there was an air freshener.

They spotted some lying on the floor behind the white buckets. Harry picked it up first and squirted a few test tries around. The smell of fresh spring flowers soon filled the air around them.

"Thank Merlin, keep spraying the stuff Potter!" Draco said after breathing in and out deeply.

"Who said you could boss me around?" Harry asked, spraying it around the corridor still.

"I'm not; you're just the one with the bottle. Unless you want to give it to me?" Draco suggested, and Harry just cursed under his breath as he sprayed more and walked further down the corridor, Draco at his side.

Draco was still there because he partly felt safer near another wizard. He wasn't safe, he knew, and tonight was going to be worse then meeting Voldemort if Zabini found him. That he was sure of.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry grumbled. Draco just gave him a small smile.

Draco tried prying the red glitters off of his robes but they did not budge. Harry was glaring at his sparkle-covered body. "Once I find the prat who did this…" Harry threatened and growled as he kept attempting to swipe them off.

It wasn't until two hours later that they got the last sparkles scraped off. It had pained them greatly to get the sparkles off the wall and dumped into the buckets. With aching muscles Draco stood up and winced as his back protested when it was straightened.

Draco shrugged, giving up the fight to rid himself of the sparkles. Right now he was thankful for not having to crouch down uncomfortably anymore. The only job the two boys had to do now was wait for McGonagall to reappear with their wands so they could leave detention and go to sleep. "At least you get to go back to your dorm," Draco whispered in an annoyed tone.

"What was that?" Harry asked Draco, looking at him with outrage.

"Nothing," Draco diverted.

"You said you can't go back to your dorm. Did the Slytherins kick you out or something? And none of that 'or something' crap," Harry persisted, reminding Draco of the last time he'd given an indirect answer to Harry. Draco rolled his eyes at Harry.

'Do you always have to be the damn hero?' Draco asked inwardly. "Yes, okay they kicked me out! Now let it be," Draco defended.

This was when McGonagall decided to show up with their wands in her right hand. She took one look at them up and down while shaking her head. The buckets were filled with red sparkles and murky looking water from Harry and Draco's hard work.

"Good enough, boys. Now get cleaned up and go back to your dorms," she said, handing them their wands. Harry took it and preformed a quick cleaning spell, Draco taking his and performing the spell on his own robes.

"Good night, boys," the professor said as they started to walk away from the buckets, Harry still trying in vain to swipe the sparkles off. Muttering goodnights, they left the third corridor.

Harry and Draco started to walk down the corridor and out of the hearing range of the professor. Once they were on a staircase, Harry grabbed Draco and shoved him into a wall near a painting of a Roman warrior.

"What do you mean they kicked you out of your own dorm?" Harry hissed. Draco glared back at him wishing he could hate Harry for being concerned about him. He knew Harry did not remember their relationship (supposedly) so why did he bother with Draco now?

If Draco were Harry he'd go on being the ass he'd been last year. If he'd forgotten the last year of his life… Of course, sadly, that wasn't going to happen. "They kicked me out of their dorm okay! It's not my dorm anymore, or have you forgotten?" Draco seethed.

Harry growled and raised a hand to punch Draco. "Of course I've forgotten! I can't remember a damn thin—eh—ing…" Harry snapped out before seeing a flash of the blond he was about to punch moaning in passion.

Harry let go of Malfoy quickly and looked at the boy with horror filling his eyes. "You're doing it again!" he accused. Malfoy stared at him clearly thinking he'd gone insane.

"I'm not doing anything, Potter. I think you've finally lost it," he said sincerely. Harry frowned and shook his head. He was trying to get over the shock of seeing that and wondered what it could have been.

"You're not doing anything?" Harry said in a half whine.

"I'm not doing a damn thing, Potter, except wondering where I'm going to sleep and hide from Za—I mean from the Slytherins. I've been threatened with death this time if I go back," Draco said, hoping he masked how much Zabini had scared him.

Harry thought for a moment. "We could go to the Room of Requirement. I mean, we can lock it up so no one can get in. You would be pretty safe there," Harry offered.

Draco wanted to look either ecstatic over the moon or horrified beyond the veil. His expression came out with his eyes lighting up but his mouth turning as if he was pained in some way. "I mean, I don't have to come with you," Harry said when he saw Draco looking upset.

"No!" Draco exclaimed, trying to figure out what to feel. He decided on aiming for 'grateful.' "I would… want you to come. As long as it doesn't go out of that room okay? I don't want more people trying to kill me because I've corrupted the 'Chosen One,'" Draco said.

'_That's not all I wanted to say,'_ he thought but his mind shouted out at him, _'He'd think you were crazy if you said anything! Or he'd laugh at you and tell you he's been leading you on again.'_ He told himself to shut up so he could stop worrying for just this one damn night.

Harry chuckled and nodded. "Nothing goes out of the Room of Requirement. I promise," he said sincerely. 'Damn you,' Draco thought, wishing the boy in front of him was less attractive and wishing he'd never noticed how attractive Harry was in the first place.

Harry grabbed Draco's hand and led him to the Room of Requirement. Not that Draco needed to be led there since he and Harry had gone there plenty of times before, but he let Harry keep his clueless appearance.

Harry paced in front of the wall three times, thinking about a comfortable room that they could each sleep in for a night. He thought of a white couch, where he planned to sleep, and a dark green bed for Draco to sleep on.

Draco seemed to need a good sleep and Harry thought he deserved it no matter how stupid and immature Draco had acted towards Harry in the past. After the last step Harry took on the third pass, the door appeared.

Harry took the doorknob looking back at Draco who stared blankly back at him. Harry didn't know what Draco was thinking but he opened the door just the same and smiled in satisfaction.

They walked into the room and Draco let out a small gasp, running onto the bed and hugging the green pillows tightly. Harry laughed, thinking Draco was just happy to see a warm bed. He realized, though, that Draco was… sobbing?

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, alarmed at how the blond was acting.

A muffled response came out of the pillow Draco was burying his face in. Harry walked up to the bed, sitting down beside Draco. He was unsure what to do other then to say, "Sorry, didn't catch that," with an awkward smile on his lips.

Draco lifted his head and stared Harry down, blond hair falling over his face like a shield. "Do you remember? Are you just pretending? **What the hell do you want from me?**" Draco cried out.

Draco highly doubted Harry could forget the past year and still manage to remember what the room they'd used for their liaisons for months looked like, and that only made him want to murder Harry for leading him on _again_. This was the room where Harry had taken Draco time and time again, making him scream out 'Harry' till his voice was hoarse. This was the one room Draco thought Harry forgot.

Although Harry was looking so innocently confused Draco had to think that perhaps, perhaps, Harry hadn't intentionally made the room look the way it did. He didn't have an explanation on why Harry had chosen to think of this room but he had a feeling this room was created with no thoughts of sex or intentions to hurt him. If only he could be free from his feelings, this wouldn't have to matter at all, not one stinking goddamn minute.

Harry tried to find a line of thought that made sense. Something had happened between him and Malfoy, Harry was sure of that. Yet to think about what it was made Harry feel sick trying to pry into his locked memories. 'Why can't I see it? What happened? Please, just tell me what it is,' Harry pleaded to his subconscious, but it didn't reply.

"I.. don't want anything from you, Malfoy. I just wanted to help. Can't I help?" Harry asked. Draco gave a small whimper, shrugged his shoulders, and nodded. Harry wanted to say something more to console Draco but he really could not since he did not know what was upsetting the boy.

"You can help," Draco whispered and lay down on the bed closing his eyes. "Potter, forget what I said," Draco said, thinking to add 'it's just my nerves' but he didn't want to explain or talk to Harry right now. Harry's presence was becoming annoying because Harry wasn't acting at all like he used to.

He couldn't explain it but without his memories Harry was a phantom of himself, if that could even made sense; but right now that was all Draco could see. Harry was a shadow, not in personality, but in knowledge. It annoyed him because someone who couldn't remember his own lover could only hurt that lover or, in this case, him.

Harry nodded and headed to the couch on the other side of the room. Draco was thankful for that. Draco hoped he could sleep well tonight with Harry's heavy breathing soothing him from across the room. He could almost feel Harry's warmth near him like it used to be when Harry slept beside him on the very same bed Draco was lying on.

Harry woke up around five in the morning to find Draco had already left the room. Checking the unmade bed he could still feel warmth radiating from the sheets.

Harry headed out of the room and up to his own dormitory wanting to get a fresh set of clothes. He'd slept in his robes from yesterday and didn't want to wear the same ones today.

Harry hoped he'd been able to help Draco. He also hoped he'd given Draco a place to go to sleep peacefully from now on if he was going to be kicked out of the Slytherin dorms for the rest of the year. "Where have you been?" the Fat Lady's portrait squawked, glaring down at him. "I thought you were done and over with your sneaking about until morning!"

"Shut up and let me in. Hogs fly," Harry grumbled, not really clueing in to what the Fat Lady had said.

Draco sighed and was glad he'd gotten out of the room without Harry waking up. He didn't want to go to the kitchens just yet. Draco was surprised that even though Harry had annoyed him last night he was still eager to have another meal with the boy… even if it was in total silence.

So he'd gone to the tower. He was quite glad to sit and watch the sun start to rise, the cold stone chilled him a bit, but it was bearable. He'd slept relatively well without any disturbances or nightmares but he wanted to listen to absolute silence right now. Silence only the early morning could offer.

"Well, well. I finally found you."

Draco jolted up shakily to his feet and spun around, staring at Zabini as he came onto the balcony slowly. His strides were confident and Draco realized Zabini was going to do something very painful. He could tell by the hateful expression on Zabini's face.

Draco wanted to run but soon found himself cornered. "Try to run, Malfoy. Make it interesting," Zabini said glaring at Draco with hatred. Draco attempted to zip past Blaise and get down the stairs but Zabini was faster then he estimated.

Zabini grabbed Draco's arm and twisted. "AHH!" Draco screamed, trying to swerve his body around to straighten his arm in Zabini's grip. Draco looked up into Zabini's face and Zabini smiled cruelly down at him.

"I'm disappointed. I thought you'd actually make it," Zabini said sarcastically, punching Draco in the gut. Tears came out of Draco's eyes and Zabini took advantage of Draco being in a rather helpless state after he fell down onto the floor.

Climbing on top of Draco, Zabini punched him in the face again. Pain split through Draco's face and more tears spilled down his cheeks. Leaning down Zabini stuck his face into Draco's, grinning as he straddled Draco tightly with his legs. "I'll make sure to make this as unpleasant as I can, Malfoy."

With another punch to Draco's gut Zabini whispered a binding spell that tied Draco's hands behind his back. Draco didn't try to stop his hands from being bound; figuring he would survive a beating like he'd survived any other.

Draco closed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth as he waited for more punches and broken bones to come his way. His eyes opened and widened when he felt his robes being lifted up off his torso and his pants being ripped open. 'Pants? My _pants_? _Rape, is he going to rape me_? WHY!' Draco thought franticly, finally trying to retaliate by squirming under Zabini.

Zabini only laughed at Draco's antics and Draco knew he'd realized Zabini's true intentions too late. Draco's pants and boxers were pulled down roughly around his ankles. Zabini then grabbed Draco's sides ferociously with his hands and flipped Draco over onto his stomach. "W—Why?" Draco whispered as his face was shoved into stone.

Zabini stopped and smacked Draco's ass extremely hard. Draco screamed again, pain now shooting around his bottom. "Why? Simple, really. A Death Eater only deserves this, got that you worthless fuck?" After Zabini said that Draco heard a zipper being pulled down and the rustling of clothes being taken off.

These weren't noises Draco was unfamiliar with, but in this position, being forced and unprepared, Draco knew he was going to wish he'd killed himself when he'd gotten the chance. Draco started to sob when he finally knew that he wasn't going to get away from Zabini.

"Please, I'm not… I'm not… Please," Draco cried, wanting Zabini to forget the hate he obviously held for Draco. "I'll do whatever… Just please," he pleaded again. Zabini ignored him and slapped his ass again, harder, if that was possible.

"Shut up, Malfoy, I don't care!" Zabini growled. Zabini grabbed Draco's hips, setting Draco on his knees and elbows quickly and harshly. Draco squirmed more and started to move forward with his elbows, blunderingly towards the balcony railings. Draco thought he might be able to get away if he started to kick his legs up at Zabini and kick him off.

Draco tried but his pants fucked it up, restraining him by clinging to his legs. Draco whimpered loudly and Zabini kicked his legs painfully. "Don't even think of it, Malfoy." Draco was still crying softly until Zabini grabbed his hips and forced Draco in the submissive position on his hands and knees again.

Zabini fucked Draco ruthlessly and Draco was screaming his lungs out. "NO!" Draco protested, knowing already that it was useless.

It burned and all Draco could think about was that he had to stay still and loosen up. "A good little fucking slut aren't you?" Zabini growled out.

Draco screamed louder until his throat started to hurt and he kept on screaming. Zabini was getting pissed off with his screaming so he grabbed Draco by his hair and leaned over him. "Hurts, doesn't it?" he asked, licking the side of Draco's cheek.

Draco sobbed some more, unable to answer the demanding boy who was doing this to him for fear. "Answer me!" Zabini snapped, pulling Draco's head back sharply by his hair. Draco groaned and nodded.

"I—it hu—rtr—ssss," he hissed when he felt something tear _inside_ from the abuse he was receiving. 'Why, I didn't do anything…' Draco cried inside his head unable to use his voice, as his vocal chords were hurting from the screaming. Zabini had Draco's hips in an iron grip now and was clearly enjoying himself.

'I can't take any pleasure from that… _hurts_… ooh it hurts so much,' Draco thought, ignoring Zabini's pants above him.

"Sto—op," Draco pleaded one last time, before he was pushed to a painful climax. Why he still bothered now, though, was beyond his knowledge.

Draco eventually climaxed but Zabini kept on thrusting. Zabini let go of Draco when he found completion and Draco crumpled to the floor in a mess.

Sobbing on the balcony, Draco huddled in a tight ball as Zabini got up and tucked himself in. Once Zabini stood up straight he looked back at the pathetic quivering mass that was Draco Malfoy.

Smirking in satisfaction Zabini left with one last spearing comment, "Thank you for letting me have you free." Draco closed his eyes tightly and cried there on the floor, not wanting to move because of the pain and humiliation he had just gone through.

* * *

Review please! I'm sorry for the last scene.. I realize it might totally ruin it because I'm so tired right now and attempting to follow the rules. 

I would like to thank **Death By Failure, Clementine Malfoy, ruby-sama aura-chan the neko-jin's yami, UK All The Way, jhaylin, sarah, sinsoftheflesh98, Silverness, Midnight-Sunset, Helewisetran, chaeli-meep**. For your wonderful reviews, I enjoyed reading them all and I'll enjoy reading more:)


	8. Chapter Seven: a little help

Disclaimer: I don't own the plot or Harry potter.

A/N Okay I wasn't stalling in this update too much, really I had exams! Buuut, **Silverness** asked for the update so here it is! Enjoy it okay:D **Kai**, my beta, did a good job and was speedy as possible so if you see her around be sure to thank her! This chapter was really hard to write because of the fact it's after the breaking point for Draco and I changed it a bit from the original plot. I hope it meets expectations :) And I'm sorry for the month in between updates, eeeks! (I'm getting slow)

* * *

Walking down to Potions class with Ron and Hermione, Harry was still on the receiving end of nagging questions from Ron about his nightly absence. Uncannily, Hermione had not even bothered to ask him about his whereabouts the night before. 

"Where the hell did you go, Harry?" Ron demanded angrily for the twentieth time that morning. Hermione was still shuffling through her book bag looking for her potions text and had yet to shut Ron up for Harry. He wished she would hurry up.

"I told you already, Ron," Harry stubbornly replied. He was holding on tightly to his made up version of last night and how events took place after his detention. Hermione lifted up her head and gave him a roguish smile.

Harry was beginning to suspect she knew something.

"Oh come on, Harry. I'm smarter then that! Malfoy wouldn't hit you with a curse and leave you in the middle of the hall to rot for one night," Ron confidently replied.

Hermione stopped looking for her Potions text and took her hand out of her book bag, tapping Ron on the shoulder with a disbelieving expression. Ron turned around when he asked him, "And why exactly does that not sound like something Malfoy wouldn't do?"

"Oh it does, it's just Malfoy would have rearranged Harry's face as well," Ron told her. Harry laughed at that but shook his head. He wasn't too sure Malfoy would actually hurt him that badly anymore.

Hermione grinned and looked over at Harry. "He's right, you know." Harry felt immediate dislike for Hermione that moment.

Ron seemed to look proud that Hermione had told him he was right. Harry, on the other hand, was cursing her. "Yeah, so spill!" Ron ordered. Hermione lifted her eyebrows up as if to tell Harry 'how are you getting out of this one?'

_I can't tell them the truth, they wouldn't believe me if I did_. Harry took in a breath and replied with the quickest lie he could think up. "You two really think I wouldn't have gone to the Hospital wing once the spell wore off? I don't love pain that much."

Harry allowed himself a victory grin. Hermione rolled her eyes and Harry could just imagine her telepathically telling him 'nice save.' Ron's mouth formed a big 'O' and he accepted Harry's lie for truth.

Once they arrived in the Potions room, Snape snapped them into their seats. Hermione had finally taken out her Potions text and placed it front of the three as Harry and Ron had left their's back up in their Dormitory.

Harry was the first in class to notice Malfoy's absence and he had stupidly asked Snape where Malfoy was. Not only had Ron given him an odd look, but Snape had done a double take. Apparently one could not ask about another student's participation in a class without getting three detentions.

Perhaps the more disturbing observation Harry and Hermione made from Harry's sudden 'random' interest in Malfoy was the titter through the Slytherin side of the room. Blaise Zabini looked too satisfied, so Harry made it a point to keep an eye on the other boy.

He had already pegged Zabini for being one of Draco's major bullies and he was amazed at how protective he felt over Malfoy. He was not quite sure why he should be protective of Malfoy, though.

_I'll find Malfoy later and ask him about what happened this morning and if the Slytherins gave him more trouble. Maybe that's why he's not here right now._ Harry went on with his regular schedule for the morning until he had time to go and search for Draco.

* * *

Malfoy was in the library at lunch. Surprise, surprise. Harry let a couple of younger Hufflepuffs push past him out of the library as he entered and walked up to Malfoy. Harry sat down on the opposite side of Malfoy's table but Malfoy did not spare him a glance. 

Malfoy was looking at a book and seemed to be concentrating hard on it. Harry got the impression Malfoy was trying to forget about the real world and replacing it with the book. Harry looked over at the book Draco was reading and wondered why he was reading 'Poisons in their Glory.'

Draco himself looked horrible. Harry knew automatically he had been in a fight because of the nasty bruise on the left side of his face. Harry frowned and finally broke the silence at the small table.

"Malfoy, what happened to your face?" Harry asked, truly worried. Malfoy looked to be sitting stiffly in the chair and he had a tight expression on his face. It was when Malfoy heard Harry's voice that he looked up with a frantic look on his face.

"It's just me, Malfoy," Harry said reassuringly. Malfoy stared blankly at him and barely responded with a nod. Harry felt offended at how Malfoy did not bother to acknowledge his existence.

"Malfoy, did you hear me?" Harry asked again. He looked at Malfoy with a bit of annoyance but that did not minimize the fact he felt worried. Malfoy was not replying back to him and that just was not how Malfoy acted.

"Yeah, Potter. I heard you," Draco said softly, refusing to look up at the other boy. Harry glared at the paler boy and pulled his book down. Malfoy did not even seem to register that what he had been reading was pulled away from his line of vision.

"Well then, why don't you explain where you went after you left the Room of Requirement?" Harry asked. It was troubling when someone usually so outspoken for himself in a snotty way was clamming up in front of someone.

Malfoy got up and snatched the dark green covered book away from Harry's hands. Harry shook his hand as a sharp pain zoomed across his finger from a paper cut. "Malfoy!" Harry hissed lowly and sucked his finger as the small cut started to swell with blood.

Harry did not dare miss the fact that Malfoy cringed as he got up and bent over as if he had had a blast of pain shoot up his spine. He did not comment on it, though, because Malfoy had not snapped at him yet even though he clearly was not in a mood talk.

"I need to go," Malfoy whispered and he quickly rushed out of the library. Harry noticed that Malfoy was struggling to keep himself upright and he thought about following the blond.

Once the blonde was out of sight Harry went after him.

* * *

Draco was glad to be away from Harry. He could not stand being near Harry when he felt so disgusting. Draco was only grateful he had been able to keep himself from crying in front of him. 

Draco felt the pain burning in his arse and there was still a dull pain in his gut. He had gotten many stares from other students on the bruise on his face and he knew he was not a pretty sight.

He had managed to drag himself into the Quidditch locker room showers to wash off the smell and cum that had been tainting his body. His limbs had ached and he was not planning on going to Madame Pomfrey so she could heal his bruises. He was not planning on telling anyone about what Zabini had forced on him.

If he went to the healer, she would notice how stiffly he walked and would probably ask him about it which would only lead to her discovering his pummelled body. He could not risk it.

Harry had looked worried for him. Draco had almost wanted to break down and run into Harry's arms but that would only create a scene. Harry did not need that and Draco did not want to be around another person for the rest of his life if he could manage it.

Draco vowed never to go back up to the balcony again. He did not want to remember anything about that place. Draco was walking down into the dungeons, avoiding the way to the Slytherin dormitories at all costs.

He soon entered a dusty corner of the dungeons, one that had not been used in years by the looks of things. Filch must have decided not to even bother with this part of the dungeons, and that suited Draco just fine.

Draco took a turn into one of the grimy dungeons and sat down with the dirt; even though it would make his robes filthy, his hair a brown colour, and his skin spotted, he could not have cared less. _I must belong here in the dirt. Unwanted and repulsive; I'm really worthless, aren't I? I will collect more dirt so no one would bother to clean me up._

"Hang out here often, Malfoy?"

Draco squeaked and fell over in the dirt. Harry had followed him; that idiot had followed him! Draco did not understand why Harry would bother. He did not really matter; he was just a toy.

The dust flew into his face when Harry approached him and made him sneeze. He groaned out when his muscles clenched in the forced movement and caused more pain then he had already been in.

Draco just laid there, silently telling Harry not to bother with him, that he should go away and not sully himself with Draco's dirt. Draco felt too much pain to want to move from where he lay and his muscles were brutalized enough. Now that he was laying down he could not get control over his muscles.

Potter did not leave the room; instead, he sat down beside Draco and flicked a big dust bunny off Draco's nose with his index finger. Draco closed his eyes as if he were sleeping. He wished he was sleeping.

"If you're not going to tell me what's bothering you, I'll get it out of you," Harry said and Draco instantly shirked away from the dark haired boy. Draco hit the wall and created a small avalanche of dust bunnies raining down on them both. Harry looked at Draco with surprise as he half buried himself in more dirt that fell from the ceiling.

"Malfoy, what the hell is wrong with you? What happened?" Harry asked. He sounded worried and Draco only wished he would go away. Harry tried again by coaxing Draco to talk with soft words. "Come on, Malfoy, you're acting really strange, even for you. Tell me what's wrong, Malfoy."

Draco refused to budge. He wanted to be left alone and he wanted Harry to go away. He was steadily feeling more distressed and upset with Harry being so close to him. He could not stand it anymore because all he wanted to do was crawl into a hole and forever stay there.

He had already made the mistake of allowing Harry to stop him from ending his life, and now this was where he was. He had no dignity left; Zabini had ripped him of it and would tell everyone about it. He did not want Harry to be there to save him a second time.

* * *

Harry had pried Malfoy for information for a good thirty minutes until he got fed up and grabbed Draco by the shoulders. This had been a big mistake because Malfoy had cried out and started to shiver. 

Finally Malfoy said something. He whispered, "I didn't want to be saved." Something in Harry's mind snapped together in place and he got an image of Draco with a noose on his neck, lying on the floor.

Panic swelled inside of Harry and he grabbed Draco when he realized that it was a part of his memory. Draco gasped in pain and tears dropped out of the corner of his eyes when Harry placed his mouth full on Draco's.

Harry couldn't explain the kiss, not that he could bother to because Draco was breaking down in front of him. Draco was crying and turning the dirt on his face into a muddy mixture. Draco just laid his head on Harry's shoulder as Harry held him. Draco felt limp in his arms and Harry doubted it was from the kiss.

Harry himself was dazed about why the hell he would kiss Malfoy, but it was not the time to be thinking about his stupid impulses. "What happened?" Harry softly whispered into Draco's ear.

"He—he—" Draco sobbed, trying to get it past the lump in his throat. "He did it—He finally did it." Harry was a bit confused about what Draco meant but he was not too sure he would get the right answer out of Malfoy right now.

Draco's dead weight was starting to become difficult for Harry to carry. He couldn't be a cane for Malfoy for much longer because he felt like his legs were going to break. Draco was still leaning dependently on Harry with tears streaking down his face.

"Come on, Malfoy, we need to get you out of here. We need to get you to the hospital wing," Harry said calmly. He had no fucking clue how he could say this calmly with Malfoy crying on his shoulder, but he was. He felt like he should be in hysterics.

"NO!" Draco wailed. He didn't move as he cried into Harry's ears but Harry wished he would. It was painful in this position and he didn't want Draco crying in such a pitiful way anymore.

"Oh come off it, Malfoy; you look like shit and you need that bruise healed," Harry replied. He helped Malfoy stumble up onto his feet and was basically carrying him out of the dirty dungeon Malfoy had wondered into.

"No, she'll find out. I don't want—N—No one can know," Draco cried as he stumbled on his feet. Harry huffed in exasperation and grabbed Malfoy around his waist, holding him steady.

"I'm not going to go—I refuse! I can't, I won't," Draco rambled on finally attempting to push himself away from Harry. Harry realized it was useless so he made it easier for the both of them.

"Then at least let me help you get to a bath," Harry said. He and Malfoy were both equally covered in muck but Malfoy needed it more then he did. When Malfoy didn't bother to protest Harry picked the guy up and headed off for the nearest bathroom.

Once he found out who 'he' was, he would go and use the Crucio curse on them.

* * *

Review Please! Thanks to **Jhaylin**, **Angelina-Floorina**, **ruby-sama aura-chan the neko-jin's yam**i, **Hikaru** oh yeah, I hinted at it but Harry did take Draco's virginity, **lena**, **helewisetran**, **Silverness **I thank you personally for asking me to update and getting me off my lazy butt hehe, **Clementine Malfoy**, **Princess of Mirrors**, **sarah**, **Hannah**, **chaeli.meep.**, **budluck-ngprod**, **wicket willow**, **Fluffy White Pillow**, and **Desperate** for reviewing, I enjoyed them all :)  



	9. Chapter Nine: innuendo at its best

Disclaimer: Me, own Harry Potter? _Non!_ I do not own Harry Potter... But I do own my supper, that I sang for.

A/N This update is getting posted earleir then I originally thought! Yay! Big cheer for **Silvas** and **Chronyi**! I am glad some of you enjoyed my spoilers while they lasted :) Side-Note on this chapter, Harry has plans, oh yes, Harry has plans! Side-Side-Note: the lack of intamacy on Harry and Draco's part is killing me, very soon I will be writing a scene between them but because of rules, we all know editing is in order. I'm not sure how I'm going to go about this but when that scene is ready, for those who want slashy-slashy, I'll let you know more details. Now go read the nine pages I perfected :P

"Sleeping Out".

* * *

"Malfoy, help me out here! Lift your leg up!" Harry demanded as he tried to get Malfoy's legs out of his black pants. 

Harry had managed to carry Malfoy this far and he was not going to stop until Malfoy was in a bath and being cleaned!

He had carried the distraught Malfoy all the way up the dungeon stairs, through a few hallways with students, and into a bathroom, all unnoticed. It had been no easy task, with Malfoy crying and almost bringing about thirty students' attention to the odd pair.

And an odd pair they were indeed.

Stumbling across the stones while Malfoy mostly clung to him and barely helped Harry maneuver him around.

Harry had almost slapped Malfoy in the face, but the need to help the boy regrettably overcame any annoyance he felt.

But now, safe from being seen, Harry was having one hell of a time making Malfoy cooperate with him and take off his damn clothes.

"Malfoy, lift your leg up," Harry said more forcefully, placing a hand on Malfoy's leg.

Harry was looking up at Malfoy from his crouching position and Malfoy's head shot down at him with fear plastered onto his face. "Don't—" Malfoy tried to say.

Harry glared up at Malfoy and slowly stood up. "Malfoy, if you don't let me help you, people are going to ask _questions_," Harry told him. Harry had a feeling that was the magic word to say to Draco, because even though the boy looked doubtful, fear shone through his grey eyes.

"They wouldn't bother with me," Draco retorted confidently. Harry shook his head and pointed to the mirror behind them. Draco followed his finger and stared at his reflection. Harry didn't see any quick reaction in Malfoy to the dirty faces reflected to them in the glass, but he would change that.

"Malfoy, look at yourself! Anyone would ask questions about a dust monster," Harry said dryly.

Malfoy took a second look at himself and the reaction to his sporting new look was instant. Harry smirked when Malfoy clued in.

"I can't be noticed! No questions, no one can know!" Malfoy panicked, cried out. The other boy was still in a weird mood, so Harry decided that as Malfoy was completely stupid right now, he would be kind enough to help him.

He came up behind Malfoy and patted his shoulder gently.

Malfoy's head whipped around and Draco stared at Harry with wide eyes. Harry leaned closer to Malfoy's ear and whispered his suggestions. "Well why don't you take off your clothes and get into that shower over there," Harry looked over at one of the shower stalls, "and get that dirt off of your body. I'll stand guard in case someone comes in, and I promise not to peek."

_Why would I want to peek in on Malfoy anyway?_ Harry stepped back from Malfoy who seemed to be shaking now. "You—You won't do anything?" Malfoy feebly asked. Harry had a feeling Malfoy was more or less trying to reassure himself of something rather then get an answer from Harry.

"I'll be here if you need help, that's all," Harry responded sincerely. Malfoy sent him one last look before he moved to one of the shower stalls. Harry watched him pull the curtain and waited for a minute then heard Malfoy groan loudly.

"Malfoy, do you need help in there?" Harry asked through the beige curtain. He'd decided to lean against the wall beside the stall Malfoy had gone into, the mirror facing him and his horrible appearance.

Malfoy stifled a cry and was probably attempting to get up after falling as he'd been having trouble with his legs.

"I—I—Oh Fuck. Potter, please," Malfoy got out in a scared voice. Harry smiled in spite of himself and turned around to face the curtain. He almost opened the curtain but stalled for a second.

"You have to promise not to freak out when I come in there," Harry said. He didn't want Malfoy to be reduced to a puddle if he went in there to help the boy.

Harry heard Malfoy make another whimper as he made his decision.

Then Malfoy opened the curtain before Harry had a chance to reach for it.

Harry would have gasped at what he saw on Malfoy's body, but he knew better at the moment. Draco was covered in bruises, and dried blood was flaking off his legs. The problem was fresh blood was also crawling down his legs.

The older scars that were obviously from a knife still made Harry cringe, but the fresh scrapes were evidently not made from a knife. Malfoy hadn't done this to himself, not that Harry had suspected he had.

Malfoy was in a changing area at the moment and the shower was running behind his back. Harry slowly entered the changing area, never taking his eyes off of Malfoy's form. Harry was busy calming himself enough to think rationally with a naked Malfoy in front of him. Draco looked terrified.

"Malfoy, where is that blood coming from?" Harry asked. He was concerned and a bit afraid of what it insinuated, because of where the blood appeared to be flowing from.

Malfoy's face looked like it was ready to crumple so Harry knew he had to act fast.

"Draco, I'll heal you," Harry offered, but Malfoy only shook and started to sob.

"Calm down okay. You need to be—"

Malfoy interrupted him by croaking out, "How can I be calm? HOW CAN I BE CALM? I can't, not now! I'M FILTH! I'm useless! I let myself get caught; I did this to me! He just—He just—" Malfoy hollered and stepped back, getting himself sprayed with the water that had been running in the background.

Harry just stood dumbfounded and his anger at 'He' was growing steadily. "Draco," Harry said finally, and touched Malfoy's chest gently.

This only created another image, raging through his mind.

_Draco's pale hands wrapped around his shoulders, Harry kissing Draco's neck furiously, and pleasure coming from being able to push inside of Draco slowly. An image of Draco smiling up at him and him feeling so overwhelmed by sheer need to shoot over the edge, and something more._

Harry pulled his hand away from Malfoy's chest like Malfoy was a piranha, and the touch distracted Malfoy's break down. They were staring at each other, just staring, before Harry managed to choke out a question, "Have we--Did we—Umm, Oh shit."

_I'm a virgin! But my memory… Don't tell me I lost it to him? That would, explain some things, though._

Malfoy stopped all movement and stood under the water that was raining down on his body, washing away the grime stuck on his skin. "What?" he asked, still looking vulnerable.

"Malfoy, I lost my memory right?" Harry started off, waiting for Malfoy to answer. Malfoy didn't show any annoyance, as Harry was sure he would have. He only nodded in response. Harry took it and continued, "I think my memories coming back."

* * *

That was all Draco had to hear. He hadn't been thinking about anything other then how worthless he was since Zabini attacked, sullied, and ruined him. _Does he remember me? Does it matter now?_ "Do you remember," Draco tried to ask, but the words got caught in his throat. _How can I deserve to have him? Do I want him again? I…_

"Remember you? Yes," Harry said stiffly, getting used to the idea that all the signs led up to him having a serious relationship with Draco. Harry wanted to back away from the blonde, instead he moved a little closer. _It would explain why I kissed him; did I love him? _Harry thought to himself. Even without knowing the answer he wanted to help Draco.

_I'll worry about myself later. Right now I need to find out what happened to him,_ Harry decided in his mind.

"Malfoy, what happened to you? And please, give me an answer," Harry asked calmly, caressing a hand across one of Malfoy's bruises.

Malfoy melted.

Malfoy melted right into his arms and sobbed, crying out his ill truth, "Zabini—He—He." Harry should have guessed it was Zabini. That git had been giving Malfoy more then his fair share of trouble. Knowing it was Zabini was enough for Harry to want to go out and create Zabini's death sentence. But with Draco crying in his arms he was rendered to a comforting-only basis.

They stood on the threshold of the shower, Malfoy closer to the pouring water and Harry closer to the half opened curtain.

Harry hoped no one would come in and distract Malfoy from finally telling him. They were in luck and were not distracted; then again they were by now skipping their classes. They were bound to get into trouble for this.

"He—_he raped me, Harry!_ I let him do it, I'm sorry, _I'm sorry_!" Malfoy wept.

Harry was dumbfounded, completely shocked into stillness. He couldn't have spoken even if he wanted to. _ZABINI WHAT? How the hell could he do that to Malfoy? Sure Malfoy's not known for having the best morals… _

_Merlin's beard, what do I do? (Besides killing Zabini the next time I see him.)_

Harry mulled it over in his mind but he knew one thing to do. "Mal—Draco, let me heal you," Harry insisted. He threaded a hand through Malfoy's wet hair but he only received wails: 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry,' repeatedly.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Harry asked softly, leaning his chin gently on Malfoy's forehead. Harry felt a little embarrassed because he was comforting Malfoy, who was naked nonetheless, and he was still in his clothes. His clothes were considerably soggy and the shower was still running, he found it a little too odd for his liking.

But there wasn't much to be done about the situation except for healing Malfoy. "I—I—don't know," Malfoy whispered. "Many things- for being dirty, for being so worthless, for being unwanted."

Harry had a heart, and even if it hadn't been generous to Malfoy lately; he realized that he felt for Malfoy. Harry's heart broke in a way at hearing someone sound so, so_ broken_.

"Don't be sorry for that. I don't..." Harry paused, because he was unsure if he was lying or being truthful and he didn't want to lie to Draco, not now. "I don't think you're worthless, Malfoy. And I'm not going to lie, you are dirty."

Malfoy bawled when Harry said that though.

_Guess now's not the time for humour…_ "You need a shower to wash that dirt off your skin. You're not dirty in any other way. And you're not—you're not unwanted Draco," Harry reassured Draco.

Draco sniffled and stopped crying, lifting his head up from Harry's chest and drying his wet eyes.

Draco looked up at Harry with vulnerability exploding across his facial features. Harry understood that whatever conflict was going to be in his mind about Malfoy had to be stifled for now. "I'm not unwanted? The whole school seems to think so, and don't tell me you want me because you can't remember me!" Malfoy said hysterically.

Harry took the fact that Malfoy hadn't pushed him away as a good sign though.

Images flashed through Harry's mind and one hit him like taking a huge bite into a raw lime. _Malfoy looked over at him mischievously, punching him gently in the stomach and Harry played along. He pretended to kick Malfoy down and as he got on top of Malfoy in front of his friends with an angry look plastered on his face, he whispered ever so softly, "Tonight at ten, Draco, this time if you're late, I promise not to use lubricant." Draco's response was a wink and another heated whisper, "Promise?"_

"I remember you, Draco Malfoy, and from what I remember, I wanted you," Harry whispered. _No matter how much it shocks me, I wanted you, and perhaps I still do. I have to admit that Zabini's got a death sentence because I feel attached to you. _

Harry stared at Malfoy for another few seconds, before Malfoy wiped another set of tears from his eyes.

"But you don't want me now, do you?" Draco sniffed.

_Yeah, I do_. Harry was surprised at the small response in the back of his mind. He shook his head and leaned down, kissing the edge of Malfoy's mouth. Draco looked at him with wide eyes and his mouth dropped down ever wider.

Harry chuckled and started to turn Draco around in his arms. "You'll let me have a look, now won't you?" Harry asked. Draco nodded but couldn't manage to respond; much less think that he was indeed, one lucky fool. By now all Draco wanted to do was sleep, his slumping shoulders were the first indicator to his creeping sluggishness.

Harry dropped to his knees and felt heat rushing to his face as he got another 'juicy memory' of his tongue and Draco's bottom. "Malfoy, stand still, and if it hurts—Well just let me know. I doubt I'll be able to make it feel nice," Harry instructed as he grabbed his wand out of his robes.

Draco stiffened when he felt Harry part his bottom's globes but it was for the doubt that Harry would do something to further humiliate him rather then heal him. _What if he was lying? What if he sticks his wand up my arse and does something worse then Zabini? What if they planned to do this to me together? _With those thoughts in his musings, it was hard to trust Harry, even when he felt Harry's fingers run gently across his skin.

Harry grimaced when he saw the torn skin, and the blood that surrounded it. He cast a quick healing charm, his knowledge in healing wasn't vast, and Draco really should have a healer do it. But Harry understood that a healer was out of the question, so his attempt was the best Draco was going to receive.

Harry also opened up Draco's passage and cast another novice healing charm for good measure, hoping it was enough to spin the skin together and take care of any infections.

Finally Harry let go of Draco's arse and stood up, feeling as awkward as a tomato in an ice-cream sundae at how practically he had gone about healing Malfoy in that spot.

"Do you want me to heal your bruises…" Harry asked but trailed off when he saw Malfoy looking at him.

"You won't tell anyone will you?" Draco sounded desperate and Harry could understand why. _Is it a good idea not to tell anyone about this? What if it happens--It's not going to fucking happen again! I'll make sure he's protected_. Harry thought passionately. But he still questioned if it was a good idea to keep a rape a secret.

"Why do you want to keep it a secret?" Harry asked. Draco's eyes flared up and underlying the anger on his face was a distinct anxiety. Harry couldn't understand why he would keep it a secret, especially when someone knew about it and was trying to help of all things!

"_Why? Why?_ Because if I tell someone it'll _get out_. I can't--I won't let anyone else--know how--how," Malfoy couldn't seem to go on. He was terrified, Harry could see it now, Draco really was terrified.

"I won't tell anyone Malfoy," Harry replied.

"Promise?"

"I promise. I'm going to heal some of those bruises and scrapes now," Harry told Malfoy, determined to do as he promised. But it wouldn't stop him from paying a visit to Zabini's wonderful abode sometime soon.

"O-Okay," Draco said shakily. He still didn't feel good, but talking to Harry did make him feel better. Although he wasn't quite ready to believe Harry Potter was on his side and trust him that he meant well.

Harry slowly traced every bruise on Draco's body with his wand. He could see the way Draco carried himself as he healed him became lighter. He wasn't fighting anymore just to stay up. When he came to Draco's arm he stared at the long scar, fingering it lightly. Harry looked up at Malfoy and asked, "Why?"

Among the other cuts, no longer red but rather scarred over, that one always caught his attention. "I don't know, I just—Need to," Draco replied, leaving out he hadn't cut himself while he'd been with Harry. Harry moved across the arm to the initials HP, tracing the letters.

"And this is?" Harry asked, staring at them. When had he carved these into his skin? Why did he? Harry wondered. Malfoy shifted under Harry's curious scrutiny.

"Because—I'm, I'm yours," Draco said. Harry raised his eyes again and Draco looked away, a blush flashing onto his cheeks. Harry leaned down and kissed the scar, before pushing Malfoy under the still running shower.

"Wash yourself off. I'll stay with you, then I'm going to ask someone to take you to the Room of Requirement and keep an eye on you," Harry said, suddenly deciding on an idea.

"What, why?" Draco asked, letting the water spray over him warmly, rubbing a bit of dirt off his arm. He'd forgotten how good a shower felt, honestly, and it hadn't occurred to him in a long time why he used to love taking baths and showers. To be able to preen and fuss in a bathroom had long ago lost its fascination for him.

"Because I don't want to leave you alone," Harry explained, "And I want to take care of something but I can't do it around you. Sorry." Harry sat down on the bench in the changing area and watched Draco as he stared at him.

_I don't trust you, what if you leave me alone with someone who attacks me? I can't trust you!_ Draco thought rabidly. "I think I," Draco was saying when Harry interrupted him.

"I'm asking Hermione, Malfoy, there's nothing to worry about. You were worried, weren't you?" Harry asked. Draco only stared at him as if he were still untrustworthy.

"Why her?" Draco asked suspiciously.

"Because she's kind- even to you, she'll be nice, I'm betting. And before you ask, I won't tell her what happened, just that you're in trouble." Harry thought it was a good idea but Malfoy still looked concerned.

_It's not going to work. She hates me like you hated me,_ Draco thought. "I'll be fine on my own, Harry," Draco said, thinking _I hope_ at the same time.

Harry only shook his head, the stubborn git.

"It'll be fine, Malfoy. Trust me on this," Harry responded.

_I can't Harry, I just can't. I don't even know if I want to trust you anymore. _

Draco didn't respond. He only scrubbed his face under the water.

_I'll get away from Granger easily, I'm sure of it. She wouldn't help me even if it was to help Harry. I don't deserve her help_. Draco knew it was the truth; he wouldn't blame Granger if she put him out of his misery once Harry asked her to help him.

* * *

Down in charms class Ron was pestering Hermione about where Harry was. "Hermione he went to the library and we couldn't find him there!" Ron whispered as he tried to cast another wind charm. 

"Ron, it probably has business to do with Voldemort, and he's with Dumbledore right now, and that is why we could not find him. Ronald, for heaven's sake please pay attention to where you're casting the charm!" Hermione ranted, trying to stop the wind Ron had conjured up from blowing her hair into a fuzz ball.

"You think?" Ron asked. He pointed his wand at Seamus while he was smiling at how amusing Hermione looked and cast the wind charm again. With his mind distracted the charm was a little more powerful then it was supposed to be.

"OI, RON!" Seamus yelled as the wind blew across his desk, knocked him backwards, and scattered papers in a whirlwind on his desk.

The class burst into fits of laughter as Professor Flitwick tried to calm the brewing storm down.

Hermione huffed and managed to cast Finite Incantarium, stopping the wind from further destroying her hair. "Oh, Ron," she sighed while his ears turned red. "Harry's fine, Ron, don't worry about him. There's more important things you need to worry about, obviously," she said with a smirk.

Ron glared at her. "Well, it's not my fault. He's been so distracted lately, and it's not Voldemort. You think it's his memory?" Ron asked her. Hermione frowned and nodded, looking thoughtful for a moment.

"I don't know. If it is, he's--He's going to be a bit distracted," Hermione replied.

"How distracted can you get with remembering a bit of the school year? It's not like he did anything spectacular," Ron replied.

"You'd be surprised, Ron," Hermione whispered.

"WEASLEY! Point your wand away from me!" someone shouted across the room and Ron's ears went red again. He put down his wand and sulked, while Hermione told him he could attempt the wind charm outside with her later.

* * *

Okay, that's it for now folks! Review if you wish to, it's encouraged as always. Just keep my stinky feet out of it.

**A huge thanks** to all of the reviewers for this story, I enjoy every one of them :)!


	10. Chapter Ten: a second victory

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N I am_** so**_ sorry about how long it took me to update this! To make it up for that this update is long, really long, really, really long. Well, you get the idea hehe. I'm not exactly happy with this chapter but my Beta, (Who we thank _bunches_ for fitting the Betaing process into her busy schedule!) Chroyni, said she thought the way it played out was the way it should happen and gave me a go ahead of sorts. She rocks, just tell her that if you ever meet her. I mean it. In fact, go search for her to tell her how great she is. Now for good news, the two busy months are almost ovey (Yay!) and with my surgery this week the crunch I've been feeling lately will be over. You all know what that means? More updates! So yes, give a loud cheer for more updates and this update included :) .

* * *

Draco stepped out of the shower shakily, his exhaustion evident in his whole demeanour. Harry helped him sit stiffly on a bench in the shower area, and he closed his eyes, his body slumping as he let go of the control he had over his muscles. 

Harry shook Draco gently on the shoulders, earning him a small slit of Draco's opening left eye; barely indicating the other boy was even conscious.

"Hey, stay with me," Harry whispered, smiling softly. He snapped his fingers to the side, hoping it wouldn't startle Draco too much. He was very jumpy, like a ferret (But now the resemblance between Malfoy and ferrets wasn't as funny as it once was for Harry.).

Draco didn't respond to the sharper noise. He only nodded before yawning and slumping some more onto the wall supporting him.

Harry sighed, crouching closer to the floor, thinking, _What am I supposed to do now? I can't leave him…_

Then the answer came to him. Actually, Seamus and Dean clambered through the door that led to the shower room, providing Harry with two messenger boys to go and find Hermione.

"Bloody Ron, can't manage one good wind charm--," Harry heard Seamus rant and Dean interject, "Yes, Seamus, you've told me that already, _twice_. Just be glad that we have a study period right now, so you can wash off that ink you spilt all over your arm."

"What if it doesn't come off?" Seamus said darkly. Beside Harry, Draco had stiffened completely. Harry hoped he wasn't paralysed in fear that Harry would give him away. Harry had other plans of course.

He stood up, Draco finding the energy now to clutch onto Harry's leg, but Harry ignored this and said in a stern voice, "Hey Dean? Is that you?"

Looking over the curtain to the outer room, Harry could see Dean and Seamus staring at him from the other side.

Draco, whispering like mad under his breath about the next doomsday, was calmed when Harry reached down one of his hands to pat his blonde, wet hair in a comforting sense.

If Harry could have, he would have looked down and given a warm smile to Draco and told him everything was going to be fine. Instead, Harry watched Seamus glare at his--Blue?--arm and stalk into a shower while Dean waited for Harry to speak.

"Harry? What are you doing here?" Dean asked. Harry was suddenly very conscious of Draco beside him and he was sure he felt Draco's fear reeking off of him. Harry tried his damndest to look calm in front of Dean as he lifted both his hands onto the metal rod holding the curtain up, concealing Draco thankfully.

_What would Dean say if he saw Malfoy in here with me?_

Harry shuddered inside his head at the thought. If Dean saw them, not only would Dean freak, but Draco would freak, and then Seamus would enter the chaos--No, Harry was not going to let that happen.

Harry heard the other shower start up, assuming Seamus had undressed and was now getting rid of that nasty ink stain on his skin. It had been rather huge, from what Harry had glimpsed.

"I had some trouble with my food at lunch, it got me good," Harry replied with a grin, happy to find he wasn't stuttering at all. Dean nodded, grinning back before turning to the shower Seamus had entered to yell, 'Shut up about the ink! It's washing off, you fool!'

Seamus retorted back at Dean, but Harry couldn't catch it. Knowing now that Dean and Seamus didn't suspect anything amiss with Harry having skipped class and been in the shower, Harry felt emboldened.

"So, you're going to go to the infirmary now, are you Harry?" Dean asked, turning his attention back towards Harry.

"Already been. Um…Dean?" Harry hesitantly asked. Dean walked a little closer to the shower Harry and Draco were occupying, and this was a major warning for Harry when he heard Draco let out a small whimper.

_Merlin, he's terrified of someone finding out… I got to make this quick!_ Harry thought.

"Could you find Hermione for me? I need the notes and lesson we got today from Flitwick." Harry explained. Dean stopped coming closer and nodded, smiling at him. Harry was relieved because he felt the circulation in his leg being cut off by Draco's arms tightly squeezing it in a 'hug'.

"Sure thing, Harry. Seamus, are you done yet?" Dean asked, returning to Seamus' shower stall. Harry tried to zone in on what they were saying but didn't manage to catch anything until the shower in the other stall stopped.

"Shut up, Dean, I scrubbed it as hard as I could, this is all I could get off. Shut up, Dean!" Seamus snapped. Harry noticed that the blue stain was still prominent on his skin, like Draco's scars were. Dean was busy sniggering and getting smacked by Seamus when Harry cleared his throat.

Having caught both Seamus' and Dean's attention, Harry reminded Dean, "You'll find Hermione for me right?"

Dean nodded, still sniggering as Seamus glared at him menacingly. "Sure thing, Harry. You want her to meet you at the Common Room?" Dean questioned as Seamus pulled his shirt over his head and fixed his hair sloppily.

Harry shook his head, finally feeling the strain of standing up on his toes to look over the silver bar at the other two in the room. "No, tell her to meet me in the seventh corridor." Harry responded before finally letting go of the bar and leaning a bit on the wall to regain some strength from his strained leg muscles.

Draco's face had gotten a little to close to his nether region but both boys were too distracted to notice how promiscuous the position looked.

Seamus and Dean nodded, finally moving towards the door to leave. Harry could hear their steps as they got further and further to the door, and as they did so, Draco unwound a little.

"Don't forget to tell her!" Harry called after them; worried Dean wouldn't tell Hermione what she needed to know. And he really needed her help right now. He was hoping the kindness she doled out to create S.P.E.W would be given to Draco as well, because if it wasn't, Harry was unsure of what he would do with the other boy. Short of telling him to leave the school, because he seemed to be in danger here.

"Shut up already, Harry! I'm not absent minded like some people!" Dean retorted back at him.

"What's that supposed to mean!" Seamus asked, probably not really as affronted as he sounded. Harry smirked from behind the curtain at how the two friends were sending verbal jabs at each other.

"You know what I'm talking about, Seamus--."

The door shut and drowned out their voices.

Harry looked down at Draco. Draco was still holding onto his leg, but had loosened his grip slowly as Dean and Seamus left the room. Harry suddenly found that Draco was all too close for him right now, and flushing, he asked, "Um… Draco…"

Draco looked up with his grey eyes at Harry, looking very innocent, which was a big irony because Draco was in no way near innocent, as Harry knew. "What, Potter?" he asked, his voice a little shaky, but the arrogant tone underlining it still.

"Could you please let go of my leg?" Harry asked, hoping that his flush wasn't too obvious to Malfoy.

Malfoy looked at his arms, then at Harry's legs, then slowly untangled himself from Harry.

Malfoy whispered a 'Sorry' under his breath that Harry could barely catch. "Well, let's head to the Room of Requirement." Harry said, with finality to his voice.

Draco looked sulky, maybe because he couldn't persuaded Harry to let him go off on his own, but he still got up and grabbed his pants. Harry let Malfoy change, sloth-like, and when Malfoy was finally ready, Harry led him out of the showers and into the luckily barren hall.

* * *

"Hermione! Harry wanted you!" Dean called as he crossed her and Ron's paths near the Library doors. Hermione stopped and turned around to stare at Dean with surprise. She was clutching her books on her chest and Ron was standing right beside her, his head perking upwards when he heard Harry's name being called. 

"He does?" Hermione asked, cutting off Ron from being able to say anything as she and Dean spoke. Ron was about to open his mouth again but the glare Seamus sent him from behind Dean decidedly made Ron shut the trap. Hermione stood towards Dean stiffly while Seamus and Ron looked around as Dean replied,

"Yeah to collect notes for the study period."

Hermione and Ron shared a glance with each other as Dean said that, Hermione turning back to Dean with a confused look about her.

"But he doesn't have a study period…" she said thoughtfully.

The space they were taking up in front of the Library doors wasn't considerable but Seamus got bumped into and had to travel into the Library to make some room for the other students flocking in for some quick studying. Dean quickly assured Seamus he would follow him soon, before he continued talking to Hermione and Ron.

"Really? Well he said for you to meet him in the Seventh Corridor, so maybe--," Dean tried to explain but Hermione only spoke over him. The hint had been given; she understood where to find Harry.

"It's okay, Dean. Thank you for telling me. I'll get an answer out of him now," Hermione responded, finalizing their interaction in a polite way. Dean nodded, smiling, and went on his way into the Library. Hermione and Ron were left to walk a little further away from the Library, as Hermione's destination was now changed.

"Oh good, then we'll get an answer out of him!" Ron said, walking down the stone floor with a bit of a lighter step. Hermione stopped abruptly and gazed at Ron with incredulity.

"We? Ron, you're going to class," she told him.

Ron didn't look deterred though, more like determined. His eyes held a pleading quality, and Hermione still gazed at him with a bit of scepticism.

"Oh come on, Hermione! Harry is skipping class too! It's not that important of a class anyways…" Ron tried.

"Ron, Harry might have a good reason for skipping. You just don't want to listen to Ficklewing's voice. I don't blame you for it, who would want to listen to him?" Hermione replied, heading towards a set of stairs that led to Ron's (and Harry's) next class.

Ron, not noticing where Hermione was 'leading' him to, kept talking. "No one, so I should--,"

"Go to class so you don't get in trouble," Hermione finished for him. She turned to the staircase and Ron caught on to where they were. This only proved to make him more desperate to convince Hermione that he, too, should skip class.

"What? Hermione! Harry probably doesn't want to go class either!" Ron protested, weakly.

"He probably has a reason, like Voldemort," Hermione knowingly said. She gave Ron a pointed look. If read between the lines, she seemed to be telling him, 'go on; get to class, _now_!'

"All the more reason for me to come along with you!" Ron said, his face lighting up brilliantly.

"Ron," Hermione said sternly.

"What?" Ron asked, nonchalant. He turned his face to hers as he spoke.

"I'll turn your robes into a thousand small spiders if you don't go to class," Hermione threatened. Her brown eyes spoke seriousness while Ron's eyes widened with fear.

"Hermione!" Ron looked ashen.

"Now, Ron." Hermione said sternly.

Ron grumbled and started to climb the stairs to Ficklewing's classroom. Hermione sighed and pursed her mouth together, going down the hall to get to another staircase that led up the floors to the Seventh Floor.

* * *

Draco sat down on a chair, in a room that Harry had conjured from thinking about what he needed. Looking around, Draco could tell Harry was thinking of a place comfortable enough for Draco but also protective. The numerous locks on the door to the Room of Requirement was the major indicator how protective Harry was feeling right now. 

Draco allowed himself to feel a little jittery that Harry was showing he at least cared about Draco's well being, but his stomach was tossing and turning tidal waves at the thought of facing Granger soon. _She would never help me, no matter what you say, Harry. Granger is just like everyone else. I don't even fully understand why _you_ want to help me!_

Draco could see the scenario now; Granger would walk through that door, take a look around the monotone room, notice Draco sitting here on the plush chair, and then she would freak. She would probably try to convince Harry to leave the Death Eater alone too, leaving Draco all alone again. The more Draco thought, the more scared and forlorn he became.

Harry for his part was a little nervous himself. Draco couldn't tell what for, but he was sitting across from Draco on the blue plush chair and fidgeting like made with his robes. Draco had always hated it when Harry started doing that… It didn't matter now though, did it? It wasn't like Draco could go over and take a passionate kiss from Harry's mouth even if Harry was helping him now.

Harry did kiss me though, didn't he? But he looks so confused when he talks about that… There's no way he could… possibly… be… ready…

Just as Draco was struggling with that thought in particular, one very stressed out bushy-haired mudblood burst through the door. Draco didn't take in her haggard face at first; in fact, he didn't notice it at all. He was about to faint when he watched her reaction after glancing directly at Harry and Draco.

"Harry--?" Granger asked quietly, the hurried air about her dispersing faster than a skunk's bad smell. "Is this why you brought me here?"

Granger then pointed at Draco. Draco immediately felt intimidated, and he shrank back into the chair, figuring if he got as small as he could she'd leave him alone.

"Yeah, um, Hermione, can I ask you a big favour?" Harry said, standing up and travelling across the room to Draco. Harry placed his hand on Draco's shoulder and gave him a small nudge. _If that's your idea of helping ,Harry, it's not working _Draco thought pitifully. He wanted to whimper, he was so upset to be around someone he didn't trust.

Granger took a few wary steps closer and spoke smoothly, "Depends on what it is."

Draco knew it, this was doomed to failure. He might as well say his goodbyes right now, because Granger sounded like she was about to get icy. She'd kill him so Harry could be less troubled in his life Draco was willing to bet.

He wouldn't blame her for it, either.

"Could you look after Draco for me? I know it sounds odd--" Harry tried to explain, but Granger interrupted him with a blunt reply.

"It does sound strange."

She had a stern frown on her lips and her shoulders sat rigidly as she stood there, silent.

Draco couldn't help but imagine her as angry, which made him worry about getting punched again; she had been very angry that one time in third year when she punched him.

Draco shuddered because he didn't want any more violence to happen to his person, even if he might be so lowly as to deserve it.

"Yes, I know, but Hermione, please just make sure Draco doesn't leave this room and no one enters it until I come back," Harry said, pleading with his friend subtly.

Granger slowly turned her gaze towards Draco and she caught his grey eyes with hers. Draco's eyes widened when he met her steely stare.

"Why should I do that for the Death Eater?" she brashly asked, speaking to Harry, but still looking straight at Draco.

Harry gasped in shock, and Draco shrank into the chair because of the intensity of Granger's accusation.

When Draco saw Harry look determined, he knew Harry was about to stand up for him.

"I'm not a--a--Death Eater" Draco said in a very small voice, so he wouldn't trouble Harry and would still stand a small chance of not attracting too much attention.

_Harry doesn't have to stand up for something like me_, Draco thought.

Granger's steady stare and scornful look only became greater.

"Well, then, what are you?"

Draco shrank back, feeling intimidated by how harshly Granger was looking down on him.

_And Harry said she'd help… I knew it was stupid! Why didn't I run? Why didn't I…_

Harry decided to interject right there, shocking Draco more than he shocked Granger.

"He's my lover."

Draco stared at him for blatantly stating it so easily. If it had been Draco, he would not have been able to admit it so easily, if at all.

_How can he do that to her, when she clearly hates me? WHAT IS HE THINKING? _

Draco felt hopeless.

Granger nodded calmly, the spurning look in her eyes dissipating as she said, "I thought as much."

Draco stared at her from his crouching position on the couch, trying to figure out her real emotions and lines of thought. He would feel more comfortable if he knew what to react to.

"What?" Draco squeaked, terrified now that everyone else had seen his emotions in the school. That would be dangerous; everyone would have curses to hit him with and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. _I'm going… to be torn apart… And it'll be all because of Potter!_

"Well, it _was_ obvious, Malfoy," Granger said as if reciting a test answer. It was too factually said for Draco's liking. He hadn't realized he really did wear his heart on his sleeve when it came to Potter.

_I wish I'd never fallen for Potter… he's caused me more grief by just existing… he's always causing me fucking grief! Why can't he just… just… LEAVE!_

"What?" Draco looked like he was about to cry, and he was on the verge of doing so because of slight surprise, frustration, and overwhelming fear that he had been seen through all along.

Granger appeared a little startled to see Draco start to slowly break down as irrationally as he was.

"Draco, it's not that bad--Draco?" Harry was saying when Draco fainted.

An awkward moment ensued after that between Hermione and Harry, both of them unable to figure out what had stressed him out so much that he'd simply fallen limply on the chair in his crouching position.

_If he stays like that, he'll be very stiff_, Harry thought.

"Well, um, Hermione, how exactly did you--?" Harry asked as he walked towards Draco and slowly moved his head up into a more comfortable angle, straightened Draco's legs, and uncurled his torso to lie against the chair rather than use it as support. When Draco's head lolled to the side, Harry grabbed a pillow from the other chair and propped Draco's neck up with it.

"Know? I happened to come across you one night two months ago, fighting with Malfoy, I thought it a little strange how your lips grazed Malfoy's for a moment, then you punched him in the stomach," Hermione said as she noted Harry's careful attitude towards Malfoy's unconscious person.

"I did?" Harry looked at Hermione with a sideways glance, astonished.

"Yeah, you did. Then, from there, I just observed you two, and it became so obvious I wanted to cry," Hermione said grimly. She had finally started away from her still stand and sat down with a huff into one of the chairs in the room.

"It was…?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Yes. Nobody would decide to start fighting just so they could get a feel," Hermione responded, irony leaking through her voice.

Harry stopped matting down Draco's newly washed hair and stiffened up considerably.

Hermione started to snicker when Harry's delayed reaction came.

"_WHAT_?"

"I see, you forget that…" Hermione sighed and looked downwards at the floor.

"Obviously," Harry muttered.

"Why am I here, Harry?" Hermione inquired, placing her hands on her lap, business-like.

"I can't say… I want to… But Draco doesn't…"

"Ah, I see. I'll ask him, then," Hermione said confidently.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Harry doubted she would fare too well if she went and asked, "Hey Malfoy, why am I here again?"

_Oh yes, and give Draco another reason to faint, _Harry thought cynically. He really didn't want Draco to faint again, and he definitely didn't want Hermione to be the reason again.

"And why not?" Hermione questioned.

"You'll see why…" Harry whispered, smoothing back a rough blonde hair strand off of Draco's face. He stared down at Malfoy one last time before standing up and whipping the wrinkles out of his pants absentmindedly.

"What was that, Harry?" Hermione suspiciously glanced at him out of the corner of her eye when Harry reached the door.

Taking a hold of the doorknob, Harry glanced back and gave her a cheeky smile. "Nothing.

I have to get going. Just make sure Draco's protected, please." he finished off seriously, shutting the door behind him.

He knew what he was about to do was probably a very stupid thing to do, but just thinking about that dark haired boy made him want to rearrange a few faces.

_No one fucking hurts Draco like that… No one._

Hermione stood there for a moment, stunned at how the many locks on the door suddenly self locked themselves with Harry's presence gone.

She then got up and conjured a pail of water.

* * *

Harry walked towards Ficklewing's classroom with purpose in his stride. His face was concentrated on something ahead, which didn't become apparent until the bell rang, signalling the end of a class Harry had skipped. 

"Harry!" Ron called as students filed out of the classroom and Harry pushed around them, looking for one face in particular. Once Harry laid his eyes on the dark boy he went straight for his throat.

Harry hadn't said anything, which had probably been more stupefying to his classmates than when Harry grabbed Zabini by the neck in a split second and had tackled him to the ground with his smaller body. Ron stared at his friend while mouthing, 'Harry's really that strong…' stupidly.

Zabini shouted out, "What the hell is wrong with you!" when Harry's fist connected to his jaw and he had to retaliate by kicking Harry off of him.

It proved harder than it had seemed when Malfoy did it, because Harry had monkey-like reflexes when he wanted to employ them. And he became a fist flying leech.

Harry, the whole time, remained silent but the fury in his eyes was geared strongly towards only one head.

Soon the fight had gotten so bad that blood was splattering to the ground and people could only watch dumbfounded.

Professor Ficklewing came out of his classroom, horrified to find two of his students fighting. Pulling Harry off of Zabini and yelling at Parkinson to grab Zabini and hold him still, he took Harry by his scruff and scolded, and scolded, and scolded.

"How dare you, Mr. Potter, I would have expected something like this from Zabini, but you? What the hell possessed you! And further more--"

By now Ficklewing was furious and jolting Harry's body around towards the Headmaster's office. Parkinson had stared at Zabini for a few minutes before the Professor barked at 'that stupid girl' to follow him.

Even after Zabini and Harry had been towed away, the people who had just witnessed Harry Potter's angry wrath taken out on Blaise Zabini stood around taking in the commotion and digesting it slowly.

The only one of the onlookers who had been fast to react was Ron.

Ron, seeing how much trouble Harry had just gotten himself in, ran off to the seventh floor to seek Hermione out, figuring she must have known something about Harry's sudden switch in behaviour towards the Slytherin.

* * *

A cold wetness overcame Draco and he jolted upwards, falling onto the floor, soaking wet. 

"What? Who? LEAVE ME ALONE!" Draco cried out, ready to curl up into a little ball in case it was Zabini.

Why Draco felt Zabini could have possibly gotten past Granger is not completely understood, but Draco was by now tired, irritable, and thinking very irrationally.

"Relax, Malfoy, it's only me," Granger said calmly, sitting down on a bucket she placed on the floor. Draco stared at the bucket before realizing what she had done to him, and still in his flight mode he began to sniffle as he tried to stop his emotional ride from taking over.

Draco unintentionally backed further away from Granger until his back was pushing into the chair uncomfortably. He couldn't help but notice how sopping wet he was again, and this only helped work him up more. By now Draco could only think of all the things that were going wrong, and Granger throwing cool water onto his head didn't better his mood.

"Merlin, Malfoy, what's happened to you?" Hermione asked, concerned. She leaned forwards on the pail, but Draco only watched her like a rattlesnake and stayed deadly silent.

"No mudblood comments today?" Granger asked bitterly.

Draco shook his head slowly, feeling cold and sorry for himself. He knew that calling her a mudblood wasn't going to be of any use, not when Draco himself had fallen so low. He wondered when Granger would get up and leave, or if she had a hero complex like Harry.

_No one can be as good as Harry… not even Granger. She can't suddenly become nice to me; it's not possible. She hates me. Everyone hates me. _

Even at the back of his mind though, he heard a voice question his sureness of that statement. _Harry cares, doesn't he?_

"What's wrong?" Granger scooted closer to him by dragging the pail closer to the chair. Draco had by now felt the first telltale signs of crying, and the burning in his throat as he tried to push the sorrow back down.

_Harry cares… why does he care… I never knew, not even now, why does he care! _

"Malfoy? Are you…crying!" Granger clearly didn't know how to handle a teary Draco. As soon as she said that, Draco wiped his eyes before any tears were seen and looked her in the eye with a glare, all the while fighting the tight 'ball' in his throat.

"Leave me alone, I don't need your pity! Get out, tell Potter to go fuck off, I don't need his damn help! Never again!" Draco temperamentally burst out.

He didn't want people feeling sorry for him. It was insulting to Draco for Granger and Harry to be concerned for him just because they thought the way he was being treated was wrong. _I want Harry… and Granger,_ Draco admitted grudgingly, _to care about me, not what's **happening** to me._

Hermione then replied, "So you are crying?"

Draco sniffed and looked away from her. "So what if I am?" he argumentatively said.

"Then what's wrong?"

_Granger, why won't you quit! _

Draco was getting frustrated and he soon realized he needed to sleep. _I have to get her away from me. I can't sleep with her around; it would be too fucking creepy._

"I told you I don't need your pity!"

"I'm not giving you pity. I'm asking why you're upset."

Draco, ready to go into a full-blown rant to get rid of her, stalled.

He whispered high enough so she could hear, "I don't want to be near you, okay? Happy now?"

He let out an exasperated sigh and pouted as he waited for her response.

"Why don't you want Harry's help?" Granger changed the topic.

_I don't… want him… to leave. But I'm not going to tell you that! _Draco wasn't going to let her know that he'd die if he let Harry in, only to find Harry was going to run away again.

_I have to have self-preservation… I don't know anymore why I still try to survive. But if I'm going to survive, it's going to be alone._

Draco stared at her, hoping she would finally give up and leave.

"I'm not going to go." And with saying that Granger single handily smashed Draco's wishes.

"Bloody mudblood," Draco sulked.

"Call me that again, Malfoy, and I'll hex you," Granger threatened darkly, thumbing her wand in one of her robe's side pockets.

"Kill me and get it over with, then," Draco snapped.

"What?" Granger asked, taken aback by Draco's depressed mood.

"I said end it, Granger. You might as well put me out of my fucking misery while you have a damn chance," Draco said.

He knew he meant every word of it. If she were to kill him right now he'd probably drop her a line in the afterlife, thanking her.

Granger looked more appalled than ready to grab her wand at the invitation. "Fuck, Malfoy."

Draco eyed her with a steely gaze, waiting for her to continue.

_What's her problem? Hasn't she seen anything that's happened to me? Surely for someone as 'observant' as the mudblood Granger she'd have realized a long time ago how pathetically stupid my existence is_.

"What the hell has happened to you?"

"What had happened to me? What has happened to me? What has NOT happened to me!"

Draco overreacted and his voice became strained as he finished off.

"Don't overreact Malfoy, I'm sorry." Granger responded, sitting back and giving Draco his space. It wasn't much, but hearing her say that calmed him. Draco was able to unhinge and rest against the chair as he asked, "What?"

He was a little surprised that she was apologizing to him, of all people. It had been a long time since he last was able to talk to someone normally, as a friend.

_With Harry we talked but… _Draco pondered, _we also 'occupied' ourselves with sex. It was always different._

"I said, I'm sorry. And for your information, Harry seems to care about you. Why, I can't imagine, but he does. I won't tell him to leave you alone," she told him.

Draco was left fuming because she simply would not leave!

Draco continued the only way he knew how. "Whatever," he brushed her off. He bet that if he ignored her and was a general jerk to her she would back off.

"Shut up, Malfoy, be happy that he wants to help you."

Granger was glaring at him now.

"Why should I?" Draco argued.

"Because at least you have someone who cares about you."

She said it so simply, but it hit Draco like the pail of water had. Maybe Draco awakened to a few things like the water Granger threw on him woke him before.

_If Granger thinks Harry cares about me…_

Draco shut up and pulled his knees up to his chest as he stared at his shoes in silence. Granger let him be for a few moments, but soon opened her annoying mouth to piss him off him further.

"So why does Harry want me to look after you?"

"I guess he doesn't want me to get hurt again…" Draco gave her an answer to satisfy her curiosity. Draco himself was allowing himself to believe Harry cared about him; the idea scared him as much as it excited him, but he was happy. In his own way.

"You got beat up again?" Granger was close to figuring it out and Draco wanted her to stay a breath away from the truth.

"Yeah…" Draco lied; encouraging her to believe that was all it was. The silly girl believed it. _Merlin, Granger, Harry and I beat each other up just so we could keep our relationship as secret as possible, do you honestly believe it's for something as trivial as my arse getting kicked that Harry wanted me protected?_

No, it was for something worse. And Draco didn't think he could bear to think about it right now. He was very aware he had only just now regained some sanity that Zab--the other had taken away.

_I'm so pathetic…I can't even think about it._

Draco and Granger sat there for a while, Draco all the while concerning himself with things as stupid as if Granger's butt was starting to hurt from sitting on the pail so rigidly.

He was actually about to ask her the stupid question to find out the truth, when something loud banged on the doorway…

"Hermione? Hermione! You're in there, aren't you?" Ron called from outside of the locked door. Granger glanced up at it from her bucket and Draco immediately got up and started to look around like a mouse caught in a cage.

"Oh no, he has to come at the worst times, doesn't he?" Granger said calmly, getting up off the bucket.

Draco swerved around on his feet and said hysterically, "How can you be so calm? He's right outside the door! I'll be found! I'll be--I'llbe--"

Ron banged louder on the door. "Hermione let me in! Something AMAZING just happened!"

"Malfoy!" Granger distracted him and when he looked her way she pointed her wand at him and muttered, "Stupefy."

Draco fell to the floor. Hermione walked carefully up to his stupefied body and picked him up under his arms. Half carrying and half dragging him, she laid him down behind a chair where Ron would not notice

"There, Ron shouldn't notice you… Oh wait," She said as she kicked one of Draco's feet in behind the chair.

Hermione, checking back once to make sure Draco was hidden away, unlocked the numerous bolts while saying, "Ronald! Be patient, it can't be _that_ important."

Once she unhooked the last lock Ron barged in and looked positively gleeful. (Maybe even shocked too.)

"Hermione, Hermione!" he frantically huffed.

Hermione just stared at him and kept her distance away from the chairs. Ron stayed near her as he leaned over, holding his knees, and caught his breath.

"What?" Hermione's voice sounded a little on edge, but otherwise her stature spoke only of impatient waiting. Ron ignored her glance back at the chair Draco was hidden behind as he stood up with an astonished expression.

"Harry just PULVERIZED Blaise Zabini, he didn't even say why he did it to anyone! He just went ahead and ATTACKED! It was so cool!" he gibbered.

"Oh, did he now?" Hermione replied in disbelief. She looked surprised but a thoughtful look crossed her eyes when she looked at Draco's hiding place out of the corner of her eye.

Ron was really eager to affirm Harry's odd behaviour.

"Yeah, why, didn't he tell you anything about it? I thought that was why he wanted to talk to you! Maybe Zabini has got something to do with Voldemort and Harry caught wind of it!" Ron hypothesized.

"I have a feeling it had more to do with Draco Malfoy..."

"Really? You think that little shit of a Death Eater--" Ron growled out.

"Well, Um, not exactly." Hermione interjected, looking back at the door.

"Then what?"

Ron waited for her to answer him; seeming put out she wasn't reacting as he had by this new occurrence in events.

"Ron, you should go see Harry in the infirmary, shouldn't you?" Hermione suggested, taking him by the shoulders and pushing him towards the open door.

"What, aren't you coming?" Ron looked back at her, inquiring with his eyes why she wasn't going to check up on Harry. Hermione looked back at him and sighed, lowering her eyes for a second and looking honestly regretful.

"Harry wanted me to look after something, research." Hermione responded, leaving her answer open for interpretation.

"Oh, I got you! Want me to help?" Ron offered.

"No, Maybe later, but right now I think you should check up on Harry for us, once you do that I want to know exactly what's going on with him," Hermione instructed, acting like a mother goose with her gosling.

"Oh, fine. I'll meet you in the common room then." Ron said in sulky tone.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him and pushed him out of the Room of Requirement with force.

"Oh shut up Ron. It's research on some essay. Not anything--important."

Ron, hearing the word essay, looked rather happy to be going to check up on Harry now. "Well," he said, acting as if he was sorry to leave, "if that's how you feel… I guess I'll be going now. To check up on Harry."

Hermione shook her bushy head and nodded. "Of course, Ron."

Ron then smiled at her and zipped off down the hallway, heading for the Headmaster's Office.

Hermione watched him run off and after checking both ways for stray students, she closed the door and it bolted automatically again. Hermione stares at the door for a moment, before shaking it off and returning to Draco.

"Finite Incatamun," she said, opening up her robe and placing her wand back into her wand pocket.

Draco awoke, and glaring at her, slowly moved his stiff limbs. "Why couldn't you tell him to just shove off?"

"Because he would have become suspicious. Just be thankful he's not always the most perceptive of people," she snapped back at him.

_Oh yes, I'm very glad for that… You have no idea, Granger. But right now I just wish people would let me rest for a few hours! Fuck it all…_

"So Malfoy, do you know why Harry just beat up Zabini?" Granger asked, staring at him expectantly.

Draco jerked his head upwards to catch her gaze. "He did what?" Draco cried out in surprise.

_He… didn't… seem so angry about it._

_

* * *

_Review please! Yes, you are allowed to kill me for leaving it there, hehe.

A huge thanks to my reviewers, I really enjoy the support you give me to keep continueing, even if I'm a horribly slow updater! I wish I had time to properly thank you all but I don't have it this weekend, I am sorry for this :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	11. Chapter Eleven: slip sliding

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter in any way, I am not making a profit by writing this. It is purely for enjoyment, hopefully others agree with me... Ehehe.

**Warnings**: Other than the rape in the previous chapter there is not too much to warn of, other than H/D is the pairing and therefore this is about a gay relationship. I might add a... -scene-... later but it will need to be posted elsewhere, we'll see what happens.

**A/N**: I know I promised that this chapter would be out way before I actually got it out but that's sadly how it is going to be until I'm done with my exams. Busy semester, very busy... I think I have worked harder in October and November than I have in my whole life! But I still have some time for updates and therefore... Here we are! Yay! Now go review and tell me how wonderful I am for -finally- updating, hehe. No, you don't have to... I would just appreciate it and so would my betas. I thank **m.t.dog** (For helping me with my horrible spelling and grammar as well as giving me advice on how to make the chapter a lot better! It helped a ton. ), **KaKiJo**, (For making time for my little update and catching those spelling mistakes... which still mystify me even now... Eeeps.), and **Rose** (For checking the plot and telling me it was awesome!). I would not be able to complete my updates with out my betas, thank you so much for your hard work!

Now, onto the story!

* * *

With the ice pack Harry had been given, he nursed his bruised jaw and glared steadily at Zabini as he held a similar ice pack on his shiner. Harry had caught a glimpse of the blackened skin around Zabini's eye and felt a sense of accomplishment at knowing he'd given Zabini a taste of what he'd put Draco through. And despite the fact that he had gotten bloodied up himself, he couldn't stop thinking about whether or not Draco was safe. 

_Hermione, I can trust Hermione. Even though I've gotten myself into some big trouble right now, I can still help Draco through Hermione._

Harry was in one hell of a jam, he didn't need to be told that. He could understand it by Dumbledore, Flitwick, Snape, and McGonagall's mere expressions; identical in displeasure yet each teacher showed it differently.

Dumbledore looked more understanding and disappointed than the rest of them. McGonagall was furious but she was no match for Snape, who wasn't even trying to hide the fact he wanted to throttle Harry for touching his precious Slytherin student. Harry could bet the only reason he had not been turned into a pile of non-explodeable, luminous balloons was because Dumbledore was Headmaster. Flitwick had a few scratches himself from prying Harry and Zabini apart and looked miffed and annoyed that his superiority as a teacher had been ignored for a few minutes by the two 'warriors'.

Zabini was, among the lot of them, the grumpiest. As he saw it he had been attacked without reason. Harry knew differently oh too well.

_You asshole Zabini, you harmed Draco. You touched… Argh! You weren't allowed to touch him! No one may touch Draco, no one!_

Harry did not have the time to reflect on that thought. If he had he might have found his reasoning was a tad off. "Harry, why?" Dumbledore asked, blue eyes hidden behind half moon specs imploring Harry to be truthful. With those eyes looking at him like that, he found that he wished he had not been so brash because now he could not explain the truth. Not without Draco to tell it too.

"Zabini knows," Harry simply said. He crossed his hands stubbornly and eyed Zabini.

Every body in the room turned to Zabini, whose face contorted with rage. "I do not know Potter! What the fuck did I do to deserve this?!" Zabini half screamed, vigorously pointing at his black eye.

The ball was now in Harry's hands, everyone staring at him intently. They were expecting him to say something that was clear, that made sense. He couldn't do that - not without Draco.

'Think back Zabini, waaaay back to when you raped another student; another boy!' Was what Harry wished to snap back at the bastard.

"You know," Harry said instead, feeling awkward. Zabini would see right through him and then it would all go to hell. Cold fear coursed through Harry, hitting his stomach with awful force.

_What should I say?_

Harry did not have a clue. If Zabini did clue in it would mean more trouble for Draco and Harry. It would mean trouble for Zabini too. All three would become desperate to salvage their pride and Zabini proved he would use means Harry would not use to protect himself.

_Why_ had Zabini raped Draco? The question had not been considered by Harry until now. Harry yearned for the answer. Draco might seem to be the bane of the school's existence but that was no reason to be so cruel.

_I too though, before my memories returned, I too laughed when Draco was kicked down._

Harry, internally shamed, wanted to rearrange the past and set it in order. Where he knew he loved Draco and Draco knew it too.

"Potter, Zabini said he does not know what you are on about," Snape menaced, "So how about you inform us before you are expelled!" Snape took a step towards Harry and in return, Harry prepared to retaliate.

"Now Severus," Dumbledore said calmly, gently pressing Harry back into his chair on the shoulder. Snape glowered at Harry but backed away. He was clearly smoldering still.

"Harry, it is not normal for you to attack another student," Zabini snorted but Dumbledore ignored his impudence, "You must explain yourself." McGonagall and Flitwick nodded their approval of how the Headmaster was handling the situation; Snape on the other hand was frowning.

Harry sighed, "Zabini may believe he doesn't know what he did but he should." He knew he was being difficult yet there was no other way around it. Zabini must have had a sharp mind, his eyes lit up with some sort of understanding.

Harry awaited Zabini's reply; the dirt was about to get shoved into Harry's face. "You know, don't you? The creep told you," Zabini said, looking a little white. They were both in trouble and neither would admit to anyone the real truth.

"Blaise, would you care to elaborate for us?" Dumbledore asked. Zabini was reluctant to say anything. Harry wanted to learn the truth now. That very second. He needed to see into Zabini's mind, to see what he thought. If he drew the right conclusion Harry and Draco's brittle wax wings would quickly melt under the fire.

"Potter has butted his head into a disagreement Malfoy and I had. I have been wronged!" Zabini was scrambling for the perfect excuse to save his cowardly hide. Harry's anger flared.

_Why you—!_

Harry would have jumped up and attacked Zabini a second time for having the gall to even say he had not done anything wrong. Harry would have accused him of doing a hell of a lot wrong; of tearing something out of Draco and burning it in perverse flames. Harry would have done all of this even if Snape hexed his nose off. (At the moment Harry thought Snape was simply dying to hex anything of Harry's body off.)

But when Ron crashed into the Headmasters office, surprising (in Snape's case infuriating) everyone in the room, the Headmaster was the one that asked the important question, "Mr. Weasley, what was so imposing that you had to burst in here like a Yeti running from a Wizard engulfed in fire?" And it was this that distracted Harry from his impulsive desire to rage at Zabini plus the initial desire to cast a forbidden curse.

"Ron?" Harry asked; his first reaction confusion.

Ron breathed in deeply, catching his breath and Zabini sneered at him, mouthing to Harry 'Someone saved your arse'. Harry sent a glare back at Zabini, noticed how Snape was eyeing Zabini the whole time as if calculating a tough equation, and mouthed 'Snape looks suspicious already'. Zabini's mouth squeezed shut when he looked up at his head of house and was seemingly knocked from his tower for the third time that day. Snape stayed silent but kept a thoughtful eye on Zabini.

Ron spoke to Dumbledore respectfully, shy because it was common knowledge that if the head of houses showed up with students to the Headmaster nothing good was about to erupt from any punishments given. "Um, Dumbledore—sir, I wanted to make sure Harry had not lost it… Ever since he lost his memory he's been a bit off."

Harry felt a little offended by the response Ron gave, he was not inept because he couldn't remember a year! Harry acknowledged he might be a bit slow where it came to Draco but that was only because he had a relationship that he had no memory of! Yet Harry was pulled to help Draco by a force he could only explain as one thing.

_I'm not ready for that… _

Harry thought on Ron's words and found he knew what to say to smooth things over. It would be disaster for Zabini to understand why Harry was so motivated to protect Draco.

_I have a promise to Draco too… Keep quiet until I can do what is best for Draco._

"Headmaster, I learned of a _problem_," Harry said and shot a nasty look at Zabini, whose Adams-apple moved up and down in a visible gulp, "between Zabini and Malfoy. Malfoy was upset that I knew Zabini had _insulted_ him too much…"

Ron then started to affirm that what he had said earlier was very true by immediately stating, "Harry, I told you that you'd gone somewhat bonkers since you lost your memory! I mean attacking a Sly--," Ron stopped when an old hand was placed gently on his shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's twinkling specs. McGonagall and Flitwick were listening and assessing how to handle the situation as it was, waiting for the Headmaster to speak first.

"Weasley, would you get out of here! This is not the time for your brainless chitchat with Potter!" Snape snapped, completely ignoring that the Headmaster was the highest one of regard among the lot of the adults.

"Mr. Weasley, thank you. I know you are very concerned for your friend but I must ask you to wait outside." Dumbledore was not smiling but his words had a calming tone to them; they were nothing but kind.

Zabini snorted at this. He was ignored though as Ron responded.

"Yes Headmaster," Ron murmured and glanced one last time at Harry. Harry could not smile at his friend or say much so he simply nodded to Ron. Ron then left the room and closed the door slowly. Harry could imagine Ron pressing his ear up against it to hear what fate Harry was to meet.

"Harry, what was the problem between Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Zabini?" Dumbledore asked. Harry understood by the Headmasters' expression that he was to give a plausible answer that was the truth. Harry would not relay the exact truth but he would defiantly relish in how tense Zabini was, waiting for the answer that could easily expel him.

_Not yet, you lucky bastard. I'll get Draco to expel you though; he deserves to watch you fall too._

Harry knew enough of what had happened to Draco over the past year to make up the story. "Zabini believes Malfoy is a Death Eater because of what happened with his father last year and was harassing Malfoy, telling him… telling him things such as how he should go crawling to his Master on hands and feet, pushing him into walls… If he had bothered to check though he would have found Malfoy _does not have_ the dark mark." Harry spat out, mainly intending to let Zabini know who had just saved his fucking arse.

_You'd find on Malfoy's wrist…_ Harry remember back to the night where everything had started coming back to him and what he saw carved on Malfoy's skin, among the many scars and trickling of blood. H.P. _My initials…_

The teachers finally had a cause and reason to work with. Dumbledore started to talk to Harry and Zabini as if he had the universal solvent in his very hand and that it would wash away all of their problems with one clean splash. All the while the two students sat, anxious to corner the other and solve the problem out in their own duel. If it meant ignoring the teachers solution, Harry was fine with that.

Only one thing mattered.

* * *

"He did what?" Draco repeated, dumfounded to the spot. 

"Harry has 'pulverized' Zabini, as Ron put it. Don't tell me you're getting Harry into big trouble Malfoy," she said. As concerned as she sounded, Draco detected the underlying accusation that was aimed at him.

Draco was sleepy, but nothing in his memories made him think that he deserved an accusation of that sort. "Did I ask him to help me?! NO! Don't you _dare suggest_ that I made him do anything! Harry-fucking-wonderful-Potter will do what he _damn_ well pleases and you know it! So would you kindly BUGGER OFF!!" Draco screamed.

_I know I'm useless but I never looked for help! I never wanted it… Never needed it. All I need is to forget…_

Draco's humiliated tears reoccurred. Never flowing, they just hovered on his eyelashes reminding him of the plague of sorrow that had diseased him for the whole of this year. Draco itched to get his hands on a knife or sharp object and dig into his skin, an image that continued to taunt his desires. His solace was so far away and Granger would tear the knife out of his hands. Feeling the jagged pain would help, watching the blood trickle would give satisfaction.

"It's… It's not like I want help, all I want is a re—release… I didn't ask for life, I didn't ask for life…" Draco gulped in an attempt to keep his will power together. He would not break down in front of Granger. Only Harry would be permitted to see that mistake. Draco glanced down at his arm; H.P.

_Do I want to trust Harry… After he ignored me… If it's bullshit about his lost memory... If Granger's playing Harry's game with me… Could Harry actually have gotten the Weasel in on it too? Knowing what He—after what—brutal—sick…_

Draco shuddered and started to sob as He tormented Draco all over again, in a different way because Zabini could not possibly be physically there. The conspiracies the Golden Trio could be working against Draco withered away when Zabini whirled in. Draco felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Draco stilled and on impulse he smacked the hand away, taking a terrified leap away from Granger. Draco covered his now tear streaked face and knelt down, gulping in air.

"I'm sorry… you just," Draco whispered, knowing there was little that could explain his odd behavior except the truth, and he was not willing to give that up.

Draco looked up into Granger's surprised dark eyes. She then nodded, her eyes conceding to not ask questions, though she made no promises to not investigate. Those promises were meant for being said out loud and her next words held no 'I will let it lie'.

"Is it because you've been in too many fights?" Granger asked.

_You could say that…_

She was being pleasant because she knew how to find the right answers; Draco understood quite easily what kind of person Granger was. If there was an urge to find information, she would find it. Draco didn't want her around, no he had to get away from her. He would not become her next project. D.M.R.T.D. Draco Malfoy's Rescue Team from Depression, consisting of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.

_No! She can't know what He—She cannot know what happened. I will be forced—forced to admit everything because of her. Harry how could you say she would keep me safe? She's going to take me out of my safety! I HATE YOU POTTER!!_

Draco responded, but not because he wanted to. Reluctant, "I've learnt that if someone touches me I'll get hurt. Potter even helped reinforce that… greatly," Draco said bitterly.

_Harry… why won't you leave me alone? _

Granger glared at Draco. "Malfoy, would you quit?" Her tone held the exasperation that was creating her annoyance. Draco bristled at her frustration. He could not understand what gave her the right in her mind to be angry at him. It was never his fault, he never instigated anything; people just felt the need to drop bricks on top of his head.

_I never asked Harry to help me, he did that on his bloody own! I wanted him to bugger off, do you understand Granger? No. Of course you don't. That's why I would never tell you! Did I ask… Him… to…_

"Quit what Granger?" Draco snapped, feeling a surge of hate fill up in place of his doubt and fears for a moment. It could not stay long though as other thoughts were mingling in with his irritation and they threatened to crash his composure to the ground. What was left of his sleepy composure was so precious to Draco. Necessary.

"Stop distrusting Harry, Malfoy. You have no reason to anymore. He seems to be regaining something, haven't you noticed it?" Granger asked, keeping her distance and getting closer to his doubts at the same time.

Draco had noticed it. Regaining something did not equal deserving of trust anymore to Draco. He did not believe in regaining. He understood hopelessness. Loss was what Draco knew would accompany him until he destroyed the reason he felt loss. "Shove off and mind your own business," Draco replied darkly, lowering his voice and slumping into a chair.

"If it involves Harry, I'm not ignoring it. Harry really did lose his bloody memory," Granger persisted, standing in front of Draco. Draco could see her shoes with his head bowed down and shuddered, knowing she forgot in impatience, that Draco was nervous when people got close. It was a developed habit from the past year.

Draco pushed to the back of the chair and said rudely, "What, are you in love with him?"

"No, I just think you need to realize how much trouble Harry got himself into just now. He was hauled off to Dumbledore's office, and if he's expelled I think you might want to hang onto someone who's willing to forget all sense of reason for you," Granger responded.

"Expelled…?" Draco started at the thought. It did not cross his mind how patient Granger was being in reality or why she would spare him any explanation for her thoughts. Draco only thought of a place void of Harry. It was enough to make him forget defenses, enough to make him forget he was with Granger.

"Are you deaf Malfoy?" Granger asked when she deemed Draco was silent for too long.

Draco looked up and glared at the bossy girl in front of him, feeling nothing but small contempt. "No! Shut up Granger … Can we go see if he's okay?" Draco inquired shyly. He was unsure if that was a good idea, for him to show his face in the halls ever again, but it was Harry.

Granger sighed, and nodded. "Discretely, Ron's going to be there too."

Draco stopped, not wanting to go near Weasley. Weasley made Draco cautious, he knew how the Weasel would address him and then he would be forced to leave. Would he even manage to talk to Harry? Draco figured not. But Draco desired to know whether or not Harry was expelled. He could not imagine a school without Harry Potter, abhorred or loved. Draco did not want a school without Harry. Unimaginable.

No, No.

Draco hesitated and drew back a step. Granger stared at his feet and she questioned, "Malfoy, aren't you coming?" He did not look her in the eyes, avoiding, and Granger turned her baffled gaze to his downcast face.

"I thought you wanted to go see if Harry was…?" Granger questioned, her face expressing confusion.

"Not if there are people there," Draco said. Draco took a step back into the room of requirement, feeling safer in there than out roaming the school during classes.

"Malfoy, what are you talking about? There are people where ever you go." Granger stared at him unbelieving but Draco could not look at her words as unreasonable. She was right. Draco allowed an inner sob.

"Not for me, anymore," Draco whispered, head hung. He was the image of his loss, bent down by gravity. Unseen forces were bending and snapping Draco's will to live and they were unseen to everyone but him. And now Harry again could see them too. That was where the distrust set in. Harry had the potential to make others see the terrible gravity that pushed Draco into the earth.

Granger leaned in like an imp suggesting mischief to a thief. "If Harry's expelled today, you might not see him in a long time, maybe even forever. Harry got lucky last month, he might not again," she said slyly, concealing her slyness within her promise to Harry to help Draco.

Draco stopped. Granger knew where to get him. He couldn't contemplate life without the gentle hand which stroked him in dust, where he lay as a pile of maggots, thriving on decay within his life; where he was stuck in a mud that he could not escape. Harry held him and washed the soot away. Draco could not believe that he was becoming reliant on Harry again, despite his compliancy to shower his grime off and be near Granger the outsider.

On the cliff Draco hung over there were jagged killers below him and hopeful winds above. If he descended or flew Draco knew his heart lay with Harry.

_Stupid, I can't… _

"Don't say that to me Granger…" Draco whispered but he was not moving back. Inching forward Granger gave him a smile meant for a baby, where joy is expressed to see accomplishments and love is given for being.

"Shall we go?" She said, opening the door and moving into the hall. Granger looked back for Draco.

_I can't…_

Draco took a step out of the Room of Requirement. Granger turned around and headed down the corridor, Draco following her. She was not a beacon but she was leading him and keeping him safe.

_Trust. Harry, do you know what you're asking me to do for you?_

* * *

Harry stepped out of the Headmaster's office with Dumbledore's hand weighting down on his shoulder. Zabini had already been whisked out by Snape and Professor Flitwick, intending to hand him over to Filch. Ah yes, washing all the windows in the entire castle would help build character, though the blisters that would form on Zabini's hands would never, to Harry, correct Zabini's sin. Classes had finished by now and Harry had one destination, no two, before he could say his day was finished. 

"Harry, I want to see you after dinner as we discussed. Come straight to my office, I'm afraid any wandering you may choose to do will have to wait until after," Dumbledore said, with an odd twinkle in his blue eyes. Harry felt a chill hit him with a box of ice cubes, filling his mind with contemplations that were none too pleasant or kind towards Dumbledore.

_What does Dumbledore know? He can't know about Draco's rape. The bothersome old man, he would know about my lie, about how I saved Zabini from…_

A sense of guilt filled Harry before he rationalized out what Dumbledore would actually do if he had known about a student of his being raped. He would not allow Harry to simply brutally attack Zabini, no Dumbledore was caring; he would have dealt with Zabini and Draco, leaving Harry out of the picture completely.

_Wait. If Dumbledore knew that, wouldn't he have gotten to Zabini before I did? What the hell is Dumbledore thinking by telling me 'not to wander'…_

Harry wanted more time to think but the matter of the present time was that Ron was waiting anxiously (without a doubt impatiently too) and would start to bombard Harry with a load of chaos. Questions, answers, comments; all these and more awaited Harry with his red-headed friend.

"Harry?" Professor Dumbledore inquired. Harry realized what he had been doing with some embarrassment. He had been staring off into space with his mouth opened slightly as he gathered his wits and prepared himself; although what he was preparing for was unclear.

"Yes Professor, right after supper," Harry repeated. He took a step down the stairs.

"Thank you Harry," Dumbledore said, letting go of Harry's shoulder to stand at the entrance of his office proudly. McGonagall was still seated in the office, waiting for Dumbledore to return after seeing Harry out.

Another step. _What is he thanking me for?_

Harry took one last look at the Headmaster and replied sincerely, "Thank you Professor." Dumbledore smiled, figuring that he had communicated with Harry; figuring that he had in some way solved another problem, figuring that he had helped lay the pathway for a little peace. Harry figured differently.

Step. _Zabini, I've only started with you._

Harry saw the top of Ron's head and smiled, relieved to see his friend. "Ron!" Harry said joyfully, perhaps more joyfully than he intended. He had just been through a severe meeting with the teachers again and come out partially unscathed. Ron had even helped, though he would never know it.

Step. _Ron, I'm going to get you a good birthday present. If I live for your next birthday…._

Ron was sitting on the staircase when Harry called his name, turning around he looked back and grinned. "Harry! Mate, what happened? Did Snape blow his lid when you weren't expelled?" Ron asked jokingly, grinning foolishly. Harry grinned back and nodded.

"What else does Snape ever do? It was brilliant when you came in! Did you see his face?" Harry responded. Ron laughed at that, got up, and lost his footing, sliding down the stair case. Harry followed his friend in laughter.

Step, step, step. _Oh, that was good! I haven't laughed this hard since… I don't remember, of course._

Harry rolled invisible eyes at himself and met Ron at the bottom of the staircase, where Ron was laying on the floor looking upwards. Harry frowned when he saw Hermione and Draco in front of him (_they were supposed to remain in the Room of Requirements so Draco was kept safe!), _Hermione folding her arms as she inspected Ron, who was glaring in Malfoy's direction. Draco looked like a scared cat, ready to bolt for concealment.

Last step. _Draco…_

Another flash. _Bodies entwined and moving to a fast pace_, Harry appropriately blushed as another snippet of memory returned. A_ dark hickey on pale flesh, which Harry nipped again, and again, and again, and Oh! Yes, yes, yes, Draco's open mouth before him, his for the salvaging, his body for giving. Oh!_ Harry was giving loads in this new secret from his mind and Harry could not imagine it was him. _Oh! Draco's eyes were lustful and Harry knew he was making someone happy, needy, loved. Draco said it himself, "I love yo—o-ooo!" through loud cries for more. _Harry chuckled.

Ron and Hermione were caught off guard and stared at Harry in bewilderment; Draco stiffened and eyed Harry with distrust written over his face. Harry was horrified because he chuckled in his memory and then he chuckled out loud. The fondness and amusement within his locked memories affected him; these feelings were Harry's proof. The memories were real, they were his. They were coming back and they were revolving around Draco. Draco equals medicine, who would have thought?

_Apparently he's medicine in more ways than one. _

Harry savored the flavor of being told "I love you," once again before he banished the thoughts. He could not think them with Draco acting the way he was. He could not reflect on his memories until Draco was safe.

"Harry?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"You really are going bonkers, aren't ya mate?" Ron said. "Hermione, what's that stupid git doing here?" He was obviously referring Draco, who was inching away by the second. Hermione was shifting her feet and Harry wondered if she was going to tie Draco to the floor before he slunk away or if she was going to smack Ron upside the head. Harry shocked himself when he punched Ron on the arm instead.

"Harry, what the hell was that for?" Ron growled, rubbing his arm soothingly. The two friends glared at each other. Draco relaxed, grey eyes wide. Hermione smiled the way an Olympic gold finalist does.

"You heard what I said, didn't you? Zabini went over board-" Draco dropped down to the ground with a pained cry which echoed off the walls. Harry, alarmed, looked up the staircase in fear that the shoes of McGonogall and Dumbledore would come tapping down the spiraled stones. They did not, mercifully.

Harry was at Draco's side in an instant. Draco was losing it again and Harry could see the signs, tears were welling, the onslaught ready to come. Harry leaned in before Draco had a chance to retaliate and kill him for saying a word about what had occurred with Zabini. Harry knew trust was on the line. To gain trust back was definitely on the line.

Harry's lips brushed past Draco's blond hair softly and Harry's words reached Draco's ears only. "Draco, it's okay. I didn't tell them the truth, Hermione doesn't know unless you told her, trust me, please? I promise you, I only said Zabini—"

"You said enough!" Draco hissed, hitting Harry wherever he could with balled fist, huddled next to the other boy who wrapped his arms around him. "You said enough! They know! They all know! It's your fault they know! Why? Why?! WHY?!" Draco anguished, face screwed up as his face soaked in sorrow.

Draco was stiff against Harry, and Harry desired for Draco to be more open with all his being. Harry had thought he regretted losing his memories but now he realized he did not regret, there is no regret when you would gladly hand your soul to Voldemort with a cheerful greeting card if it would change the fact you'd lost your memories

Harry continued to whisper, his gut churning too much. "I'm sorry Draco, I'm so sorry. It's okay though, no one knows what really happened, no one but me. They'll keep Zabini away from you, I'll keep him away, I promise. Believe me Draco, I'm sorry…"

"Harry, why… why…?" Draco sobbed. Harry held Draco tightly and kissed his cheek ever so lightly, knowing it would be lost on only one person there. Draco grabbed onto Harry's robes and raged into them.

"I couldn't stand the thought of someone hurting you, I couldn't stand it, I'm sorry," Harry said, eyeing Hermione and Ron, who were just staring. Harry knew his friends would not interfere, their faces said they knew the severity of what was going on. Harry retuned to Draco who was broken, who was fixed, who was in pieces, who was being held together.

* * *

"What the fuck is wrong with Malfoy?" Ron exclaimed, earning himself a smack from Hermione. 

"Would you all stop beating me up!!" Ron cried. He held his head gently where Hermione had given him a wallop, acting the victim. Hermione only looked distressed.

"Ron, shut up. Don't you see what's going on?" She asked, anger and sympathy combining on her face. Ron only stared at her with confusion.

"What are you--?" Hermione grabbed his chin and pointed it in Harry's direction sharply. Ron winced. His eyes bulged when he saw Harry comforting Malfoy, who was clinging to Harry as he wailed. "What… when… why?" Ron blabbered, utterly terrified.

"That's what Zabini did." Hermione stated.

Ron gulped.

* * *

Draco sniffled into Harry's neck, "Why are you doing this to me?" he asked. 

Harry was taken aback. Doing what? Harry did not know what Draco meant and he felt he was not doing anything to Draco, besides helping him. Why help him? He simply felt he had to, reasons buried beneath sandy beaches of ration.

But still Harry answered the question he was not sure of how to translate, if only with a question for Draco too. "You said you loved me, right?" Draco's eyes went wide and he made no sound. Harry wondered about the fear and shock on Draco's face and felt unsettled; then he tightened his hold around Draco's quivering body.

Harry told Draco something comforting, something that made Draco relent to his fear. "It's all right, I remember." Harry only wanted to make Draco feel better, he knew he could not explain why. Was it enough to just act? Harry thought so.

_Draco, I'm not going to let you take the fall alone. I can't do that._

Draco let go of his secret, Harry knew it when Draco started to wail all over again, barely managing to choke out, "Y—e—sssss—Love—Love —"

Harry kissed Draco's forehead, "You." Draco was finished; he crumpled and fell asleep.

* * *

Review please! Let me know what you thought. 

Thank you to all my readers for being patient with me, or not so, with completing this update. I hope you enjoyed this chapter very much and that it was well worth the wait:)

-Sleeping.


End file.
